A New Power: Final Stand
by Imperial Acclamator 119830
Summary: Part Five of the 'A New Power' Series. Betrayed, abandoned, and with the Power of Three broken, the future has never looked so bleak. In a time of desperation, the Order plans to make one last attempt to save the future. They plan to make one final stand.
1. The ‘Mistake’ that Changed the World

A/N: Okay, here we go. The last sequel. Serious, this is the last one. I mean it, no more… honestly…

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Chapter 1

The 'Mistake' that Changed the World

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**Hogwarts Castle, July 22nd, 1945.**

Grindelwald had surrounded Hogwarts. The five year long conflict between the two greatest wizards of the time was to culminate at the magical school. Grindelwald had pressed Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic back and back, claiming all magical territory except Hogwarts. Grindelwald stormed the mighty fortress early one July morning. The Ministry forces were rapidly overrun. Dumbledore and the current headmaster took shelter in the headmaster's office. Grindelwald himself had gone to meet them.

"Well, well…" said Grindelwald, twirling his wand between his long fingers and smiling darkly. "This has been almost… anticlimactic."

"So you say." retorted Dumbledore, his icy blue eyes burning with fury. "You have not won yet." Grindelwald considered him.

"Oh, but I will." Grindelwald said, shaking his head sadly. "Join me, is submission not preferable to annihilation?"

"Not if one is submitting to the likes of you." Grindelwald sighed.

"Very well. Then this must end now." Grindelwald raised his wand, but Dumbledore was quicker. A jet of green light shot burst from Dumbledore's wand… just before the room froze. A spiraling portal opened and another Dumbledore strode into the office. This one appeared older and much more tired.

"So foolish, I was." This new Dumbledore said, shaking his head at his younger self. "Oh, so foolish that I could not see it then… but I do now." The new Dumbledore stepped over to Grindelwald.

"You have much more to do, my friend. However, if my past self over there kills you, you will be unable to do as I need you to." Dumbledore tossed a potion vial at Grindelwald's feet -- a power stripping potion. He, then, turned and blasted the killing curse out of the air with his wand. He then magically bound Grindelwald, and modified the memories of his past self and the headmaster to believe that they had done this. Grindelwald would be spending many long years in Azkaban… until he was needed. Dumbledore dropped a potion at his feet. Another portal opened and Dumbledore entered it. The moment the spiraling wormhole had vanished, the scene unfroze.

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**Hogwarts Castle, November 3rd, 1996.**

A portal opened in the headmaster's office, and Dumbledore stepped out of it. He took a seat behind his desk. He did not acknowledge to black robed man standing on the other side of the highly polished oak desk.

"Is it done?" the man asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"It is done." he responded. The man smiled beneath his hood.

"Good, very good. And you are certain he will be loyal?" Dumbledore nodded.

"He will have no choice."

"Excellent, excellent!" The man stood to his feet and began to leave. "One more thing." he said.

"Yes?" asked Dumbledore.

"You never did tell me why you're doing this, aiding the likes of my kind?" Dumbledore's eyes narrowed.

"No, I suppose I didn't… and I don't have to." the man shrugged.

"Very well." Dumbledore stood.

"We shall not meet under a flag of truce again." he said. "We are not allies. From this day forth, we are enemies once more." the man nodded.

"I did not expect anything otherwise."

"I truly had hoped not, Tom." Dumbledore said as Voldemort strode from the office and vanished. Dumbledore sighed and sat back down. Severus Snape emerged from his hiding place a shadowy corner of the room.

"You don't think he will be rather… upset, when he discovers what you've done?" Snape asked.

"Lord Voldemort has the ability to restore the powers I just took from Grindelwald. If I know Grindelwald, and I am certain that I do, he will suppress Voldemort… which is exactly what I need."

"All this, just to distract Potter?" Dumbledore shook his head.

"No, no… not Potter. Potter's in love. His love will keep him distracted. I need Ms. Hermione Granger distracted. She is far to intuitive for her own good. Voldemort cannot keep her attention for long, she and her companions may well have the ability to destroy Voldemort, but they do not yet have the power to vanquish Grindelwald."

"Do you really want Grindelwald back in power?" Snape asked.

"Of course not!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "I want the Granger girl distracted long enough implement my plans. I intent to send her on a quest for me… I wish to place her in Grindelwald's possession. Lord Voldemort's prisons are known to be truly terrible places. If she can survive there, she can survive anything. I need to see how much she can take."

"Sir," said Snape. "I will admit that I do not like Ms. Granger, however… she has been through so much already. Her mother was killed and her father… well, you know what her father did to her." Dumbledore nodded.

"I do know…. And I assure you that if I had known before Ms. Granger had become pregnant, I would have intervened. It is too late to change her past, and I cannot return the daughter her father stole from her, nor can I locate her father and bring him to justice. What I can do, is prepare her for her destiny. She _has_ to be ready. If she's not, all this work has been for nothing." Snape nodded.

"You do realize what you're condemning that innocent girl to, don't you. She will face a lifetime of suffering and pain… do you really want that for her?"

"No, of course I don't…. but, if anyone is going to save the world, is has to be her. No one else has the power. I understand that she has already been through a terrible ordeal, and I truly hate the fact that I am sentencing her to much more pain. I do care about her, but this is her destiny, her birthright. She must be prepared to carry this burden… or she will die."

"I hope you're right, Professor." said Snape. "What you've done could completely change the future in ways you haven't predicted. If you're wrong, there may be nothing we can do to repair the damage."

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**Halliwell Manor, May 28****th****, 2012.**

It had six months since Atlantis had sunk back to the bottom of the ocean. Harry and the others had returned to San Francisco and had since been using the manor as a base of operations for the scattered Order of the Phoenix, which was renamed to the Order of Atlantis, in honor of their lost friend. If the war with Grindelwald had been bad, it was nothing compared to the continuous defeats being suffered around the world at the hands of Albus Dumbledore. No matter what the Order did, Dumbledore was always two steps ahead of them. No one seemed to have any answers, even the Elders seemed to have abandoned them. There had been no contact with any of the Elders since the siege of Terellia, and they had even banned orbing up to the heavens. They were losing the war, and this time, there didn't seem to be a way out. These were the thoughts that plagued Phoebe Halliwell as she sat in the conservatory, gazing into the stars.

"I wish you were here, Hermione." Phoebe whispered sadly. "You'd know what to do."

"Phoebe?" A quiet voice asked from the doorway to the living room. Phoebe looked up.

"Hey, Piper." she said.

"What are you still doing up?" Piper asked, sitting down in one of the wickerwork chairs and taking Phoebe's hand. "It's almost three in the morning."

"I couldn't sleep." Phoebe said, not taking her eyes off the stars. "I haven't been sleeping well for the last few months."

"You mean since we left Terellia?" Phoebe sighed.

"Pretty much…" Phoebe admitted. Piper squeezed her younger sister's hand.

"Pheebs, I know you love her… I mean, we all do, but… she's not coming back. She _can't _come back. We've got to move on." Phoebe nodded sadly.

"I… I know that, it's just… before the battle back on Atlantis, Hermione and I were up in the tallest tower of the palace, and… and we… _I _kissed her." Piper's eyes widened slightly.

"And… what did Hermione think about this?"

"She wasn't really upset. She was… confused, I guess. Just like I was."

"And now?" Piper asked, noticing her sister's use of the word 'was'.

"I… I think I might be in love with her." Phoebe whispered. "I'm hung up on a woman I'm never going to see again, and one that doesn't even look at me the same way. I know I've got to get over her, but… I'm not sure I'll ever be able to. I… I love her, Piper. I think I always have, I just… didn't see it. I don't know… if I can put that behind me."

"I understand." Piper said. "I don't know what to tell you, except that you've got to get on with your life. We're at war… and we can't worry about personal issues now."

"And if we weren't at war?" Piper studied her sister's face.

"Phoebe, I don't know…. But I'll tell you one thing. _If_ you and Hermione ever have a chance together, you have my support." Phoebe smiled.

"Thanks, Piper." Piper nodded, stood, and left. Phoebe remained where she was, staring out at the stars.

_She loves Harry! _Phoebe told herself firmly. _Even if she did come back, she'd still love Harry._ Suddenly, a thought occurred to Phoebe. She remembered a statement Hermione had once made at the foot of the staircase barely twenty feet from where she sat. Phoebe stood and moved toward the staircase, her hand brushing the railing where Hermione's hand had once rested.

"_I would've fought like hell for him, Pheebs._" Yes, that's what Hermione had told her many years ago in this very spot. Thinking back, Hermione had been right… and her words still rang true today. Phoebe was more like Hermione than she thought. If Hermione ever returned, Phoebe would do exactly as Hermione had said. She was going to fight like hell for what she wanted, and no one was going to get in her way. At that moment, Harry descended the staircase on the way to the kitchen.

"You should get some rest, Phoebe." he said sleepily as he passed her.

"Yeah…" said Phoebe. She gazed at him as he passed, her eyes following him until he rounded the corner into the dining room and passed out of sight.


	2. Home Sweet Home

Chapter 2

Home Sweet Home

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It was early on Sunday morning in San Francisco. The sun had not yet even begun to peek over the horizon. No one slept well in the Halliwell manor any longer, not since news had come in from London, England. The city was gone. The entire city had been completely obliterated. There had been no reports as to how it had happened, but it was clear who was behind it. No one but Albus Dumbledore had the kind of power required to exterminate a city. The Order had not believed that Dumbledore would attack innocents in such a terrible manner and was fully unprepared to discover just how far Dumbledore would go. It was believed that reconstruction efforts at the Ministry of Magic had prompted the city's destruction. Phoebe was so absorbed in her thoughts that she did not notice her baby sister, Paige, strolling into the kitchen.

"Phoebe, it's six in the morning, what are you doing up so early?"

"I could ask the same question about you, Paige." Paige shrugged and sat down across the table from her sister.

"You could, but I asked you first." Phoebe was just about to respond when the kitchen exploded. Phoebe and Paige were blasted through the disintegrating wall into the dining room, where they landed hard on the polished, wood floor. Phoebe scrambled to her feet as a dozen or so Death Eaters charged in through the shattered kitchen. Spells streamed around her as she darted from the room and into the relative safety of the conservatory. With a start, she realized that Paige wasn't with her. Just as she had resolved to go back for her sister, Harry charged down the staircase, leading a group of a dozen Order members. With spells soaring in every direction, Phoebe had no hope of returning to the dining room where she had last seen Paige. Phoebe was able to determine, however, that things could hardly be worse. More and more Death Eaters and demons arrived, continuing to press the Order back. After only five minutes, it was clear the battle was lost. Harry shouted for everyone to abandon the manor. Phoebe did just that. She darted toward the front door, dodging spells and the bodies of the fallen - both friend and foe. Outside, dark figures ran everywhere as the survivors of the assault on the manor fled into the night. Phoebe hated herself for leaving her friends, but knew she had no choice. Phoebe took off down the street as fast as she could run. She was five blocks from the manor when an explosion ripped through the street. The ground trembled and she lost her footing. She fell forward and slammed into the concrete. Phoebe stood, shakily, to her feet and tasted blood. She winced and set off again, moving slightly slower this time. Upon reaching the end of the block, she ran headlong into Harry, who was hiding behind a large mulberry bush, nursing a large burn on his forearm.

"Oh, thank God!" Harry exclaimed. "I was afraid no one else had managed to escape the manor."

"Did you hear that explosion a minute ago?" Phoebe asked, sinking to the ground next to Harry. "What was that?"

"You didn't see it?" Harry asked. "Phoebe… I don't know what the hell they did it with, but the Death Eaters blew up the manor… along with half the street. I was still close enough to the manor to see it. The manor's just… gone. There was nothing left but rubble. If anyone was still in the house…" Harry broke off. "Here, come on…" he continued. "I know a place we can go." Harry led Phoebe off across the city. It was nearly dawn before they finally sat down in plastic seats at a rather shabby outdoor café in a dodgy part of town.

"We should be safe here for a bit." said Harry, leaning back in his seat and sighing.

"Do you… do you think any of the others survived?" Phoebe asked, not bothering to speak in a quiet voice. The only other people at the café where sitting on the other side of the courtyard. Harry shrugged.

"I don't know, Phoebe." he said. "I certainly hope so."

"What do we do now?" Phoebe asked. "Where do we go?"

"Well, if anyone else survived, they'll go to Magic School. We should go there too."

"But, Harry… to get into Magic School, we'll have to lower the extra protective spells we put in place to keep Dumbledore out. If we're being followed…"

"The Death Eaters will be able to get in too, I know." Harry said, finishing her sentence for her. "We'll just have to make sure there's no one else around us when we go." A sudden rustling in the bushes behind them made both Phoebe and Harry spin around. Miley and Danielle emerged from the plants, Miley supporting her younger sister, who seemed to have a very serious leg injury.

"Harry, Phoebe, thank God." said Miley, helping her sister into a chair and then taking one herself. "We weren't sure if anyone else got out of the manor."

"Neither were we." said Phoebe.

"Harry," Danielle said. "do you think you could…" she gestured toward her left leg, which was in bloody tatters.

"I'd love to, Danielle, but… if we use magic, they'll be able to track us. Staying hidden is our only hope now." Danielle nodded, trying to hide the grimace that crossed her face. Harry knew the pain must be terrible, and it was a mark toward Danielle's strength that she accepted Harry's refusal to heal her. There was no doubt that Danielle was Hermione's daughter. Danielle had inherited her mother's courage and strength… traits Harry could only dream of having.

"We should get moving." Phoebe said. "We may be in public, but I don't think Dumbledore would mind attacking us in front of innocents." Harry nodded.

"We need someplace secluded to orb up to Magic School… someplace nobody will look for us."

"Maybe we should go someplace more public." Danielle said. "Here, there are a few people, but Dumbledore won't risk exposing magic to a large group of people."

If only she knew how very wrong she was.

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It was quite a sight to see four sweaty, dirty, blood-soaked people, one of whom was supported between her twin sister and a brunette, stumble into the crowded downtown mall. The group was led by a raven haired man, who had had his left sleeve torn from his shirt, revealing a deep gash on his bicep. They hurried along as fast as they could manage, trying their best not to attract attention. Remarkably, as they passed a shoe store on the third floor, they spotted Piper, rushing in the opposite direction. She looked about as bad as they did, and seemed thoroughly relived when she spotted them.

"Harry!" she shouted, waving at them through the crowd. "Phoebe, Danielle, Miley! I'm so glad I found you. I though I was the only survivor."

"You almost were." said Phoebe. "Have you seen Paige? She was with me in the manor, but… but we got separated. I…"

"Phoebe…." Piper whispered. "Paige, she… a Darklighter managed to… to… she didn't make it, sweetie." Perhaps it was the knowledge of their dire situation that Phoebe simply nodded, not even a trace of a tear filled her eyes.

"We need to get a move on." Harry said sharply, nervously aware of the curious looks their group was receiving. They were just setting off when a flash of reddish light blasted through the crowd. Several dozen Death Eaters charged toward them, blasting innocent bystanders with their wands. One Death Eater shot a spell that hit the floor at their feet. The force blasted Harry and the others off their feet. It blew out several storefronts and cracked the tiled floor. The cracks grew deeper and deeper until a twenty foot section of walkway broke free of its supports and fell down upon the walkway on the second floor, causing another piece of walkway to shatter and finally come to rest on the ground floor. As the dust began to clear, Phoebe, Miley, and Danielle were still on their feet, doing their best to hold back the Death Eaters.… Harry, however, was lying on his stomach, leaning over the newly-created ledge, grasping Piper's hand. The floor had crumbled away beneath the eldest Halliwell's feet. Harry had only just managed to catch her. Piper peered down at the ground… sixty feet beneath her.

"Harry…" she whimpered, terror in her eyes.

"Don't worry!" Harry called down to her over the sounds of the conflict. "I'll get you back up, just…" At that moment, a jet of purple light caught Danielle full in the face. She crumpled to the ground.

"Harry…" Piper repeated. "you don't have time. You've got to go right now!"

"Piper, no!" Harry shouted. "I'm not losing anyone else today." Piper shook her head sadly.

"The world needs you, Harry… Phoebe, Miley, and Danielle need you. Go help them… get to Magic School. We'll meet again, Harry… I'm certain of it." Piper wrenched her hand free from Harry's. She plummeted the sixty feet to the ground below. Harry leapt up, unable to watch Piper fall, and sent a burst of green light into the crowd of Death Eaters. He scrambled forward and scooped Danielle into his arms.

"We can't wait any longer!" Harry shouted, grasping Phoebe's hand. "We've got to get to Magic School!"

"But they'll follow us!" Miley exclaimed.

"No choice!" Harry told her. Harry dissolved into blue-white light, taking Phoebe and Danielle along with him. Miley was consumed in a column of fire a moment later.

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Harry and the others appeared in the Great Hall of Magic School. Harry hastily deposited Danielle on a couch and raised his wand.

"Be prepared." Harry told the others. "They won't be far behind us."

"Oh, yes they will." A voice said from the shadows in a corner of the room… a voice none of them could possibly not recognize.

"How the hell did you get here?" Harry asked, peering into the shadowy corner. An empty potion vial suddenly rolled across the floor, and came to a stop at Harry's feet.

"You may remember, about nine years ago now, a potion a certain Atlantean goddess gave me."

"But that was in a completely different timeline… the you that had that potion _died_." The speaker stepped out of the shadows, smiling slightly.

"Boggles the mind a bit, doesn't it?" Catherine said, twirling her wand between her fingers. "Unfortunately, we haven't the time to discuss it now. The world is about to fall apart at the seams unless we stop it… and there's only one person on this earth that _can_ stop it. We just have to find her."


	3. One Last Hope

Chapter 3

One Last Hope

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"If you're talking about Hermione…"

"Well, who the fuck do you think I'm talking about, Harry? Hannah Montana? Of course I mean Hermione. She's the only one with enough power to stop Dumbledore."

"But, Catherine…" Phoebe said quietly, eyeing Harry nervously out of the corner of her eye. "Hermione _can't _help us. The Elders would…"

"Well, there's the problem. The Elders. As I understand it, the Elders are no longer a factor. During the assault on Terellia, Dumbledore attacked the Elders and completely destroyed them. There are no more Elders. Hermione's free now." Phoebe's eyes immediately lit up.

"Well, we've got to get to her…. Tell her this. Without the Elders, she can come back!" Catherine nodded.

"She can. The only problem is how to contact her. Atlantis is on the bottom of the ocean. You can't orb there, nor Apparate. Owls couldn't reach her either, I… I haven't a clue how to find her." Harry rolled his eyes.

"If we can't relay the news to her, why on earth did you think it necessary to come here to tell us just how screwed we are?!" Catherine turned to Harry, glaring daggers at him.

"Why don't you go into another room, get the stick out of your ass, and come back and talk about this like a normal human being."

"I don't think that's how you should talk to your father." Harry said sharply.

"After what you did to mum, I honestly don't give a damn what you think." Catherine retorted. "As far as I'm concerned, you stopped being my father the moment you turned your back on my mother. Lucky for you, I suppose, you're still on our side. Because to be honest, I'm not so sure I'm able to tell the difference between you and the enemy." Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Catherine held up her hand.

"One more word, Harry, and I swear to whatever deity happens to be listening that I will curse you so badly they'll never even find pieces of you." She then turned to Phoebe.

"We need to talk." Without a backwards glance, Catherine turned and left, nearly running over Ginny and Draco, who had just appeared with a loud crack. Phoebe hurried after Catherine as Ginny and Draco walked over to Harry.

"Am I going crazy, or did Catherine just walk passed us?" Draco asked. Harry nodded.

"She did." was all Harry said.

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Catherine held open a classroom door and waited for Phoebe to enter. She then followed Phoebe into the room and slammed the door behind her.

"Was that really necessary?" Phoebe asked in a quiet voice, leaning against the teacher's desk.

"Harry needs to get his head out of the past and focus." Catherine said sternly. "I've got a few issues with that man, Phoebe… so don't even start with me."

"It's just… he's going through a lot right now, and…"

"_Please _don't tell me you're taking his side now, are you?" Phoebe shook her head.

"Of course not, the things he said to Her…. to Her…

"…mione." Catherine interrupted. "I know, Phoebe." Phoebe looked up at her, curious.

"You know… what, exactly?"

"About you… and my mother." Phoebe smiled.

"Kat, there's nothing…"

"I'm from the future, Phoebe. You can't lie to me." Catherine said with a knowing smile.

"So… going to yell at me?" Phoebe asked. Catherine grinned.

"Actually, I'm not. I'm going to help you."

"Help me?" Phoebe inquired, her eyes narrowing. "Why?"

"Because I had a little chat with the Angel of Destiny. I won't tell you the whole story… it'd take too long and you'd get a headache. Suffice to say, you and Hermione… were meant for each other. However, due to Dumbledore's interference in… a number of different ways, he changed destiny in many ways. Some things ended up being for the better. Others… not so much."

"So you want to help me break your mother and father up?" Phoebe asked.

"I don't have to." Catherine responded. "Last time I checked, my parents are no longer married. Hermione's on the bottom of the ocean, and Harry's furious with her."

"Yeah, but… but if she comes back, they could…"

"They won't."

"How can you possibly know that?"

"Because you're the one she needs." Phoebe stared at her.

"Needs… for what?"

"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know. Phoebe, you are Hermione's anchor to this world. You allow her to exist here without… It's hard to explain. Aurora's powers are too much for Hermione to handle on her own. Her physical body simply cannot contain that much power at once. She needs… a filter. Someone who can… relieve her burden, from time to time. You were destined for that role. As long as you live, Hermione can as well. Were you to, God forbid, die… Aurora's powers would overwhelm her. In a need to release the excess power, she would unleash her incredible array of abilities on anything and anyone she could. She would become as bad, if not far worse, than anything we've faced before. Eventually, she would exhaust her powers, and… and we'd be forced to… to kill her. We couldn't bring her back after that."

"So…" Phoebe said, trying to process this incredible information. "it's my job to… take on some of her power when it becomes to much for her?" Catherine nodded.

"In a sense. You can't use the power, nor would you even know you possessed it. You are merely… a storage container."

"A storage container?" Phoebe asked, arching her eyebrows.

"Not only that, you also… restrain her fury. Hermione has a bit of a temper at times, and coupled with a ridiculous amount of power… that creates a very unstable situation. You'll recall when you all just reached Atlantis and Hermione explained everything. She became angry with Harry, but when you touched her… her anger vanished. There was also another time, back during the war with Lord Voldemort. Remember when we caught Draco impersonating Harry and Hermione confronted him? You stopped her from killing him. The rage she felt in that moment came from being born a goddess… the natural urge to crush those in her path. You, and Hermione's own desire to do good, are the only things that keep her on our side. Lose either of them…"

"And we lose Hermione." Phoebe said.

"Exactly." Catherine responded. "Listen… I've got some ideas on how to reach Hermione, but… it's going to take some time. In that time, there are some things you need to see. Things that may help you understand the very thing that has been plaguing you for six months. You want to understand why Hermione chose to save you and sacrifice herself. I think this my help you. You'll be gone a good while, I imagine."

"Where are you sending me?"

"To Hogwarts, during my first and last year there. Don't worry, I can bring you back if I need to. You'll be fine."

"But what will you tell the others?"

"I'll figure something out. Good luck." Catherine tossed a small crystal at Phoebe's feet. It shattered. In an instant, Phoebe was gone.

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**HOGWARTS EXPRESS. SEPTEMBER 1st, 1997 **

Phoebe appeared in the empty corridor of the Hogwarts Express. The train rattled along on its journey toward Hogwarts. Rain poured from the sky as Phoebe made her way down the train, not stopping until she heard familiar voices coming from a compartment to her left. She peered inside. Harry sat near the window, along with Ron, Luna, Neville, Ginny, and (Phoebe's heart gave a slight flutter) Hermione. Ron appeared to be telling them a very funny story, as all of them were laughing loudly. Phoebe couldn't help but notice the happiness in all their eyes. This was a time before the war had truly begun to effect them. This was a time of innocence for her friends, a time that would soon vanish into history. Phoebe leaned closer to the door in order to catch more of their conversation. Unfortunately, she pressed to hard against it, because it slid open. Everyone in the compartment looked up at her.

"Um… hi." Phoebe said nervously. No one responded. "I should be going, I…" To Phoebe's slight surprise, Hermione stood to her feet and moved over to Phoebe.

"Here," she said, offering Phoebe the seat beside her own. "come and sit down. I'm Hermione, but you can call me Mione, everyone does." Phoebe smiled and sat down.

"It's good to meet you, I'm… Lilly…. Lilly Stuart." She said, hurriedly inventing a new name, knowing full well they would recognize her real one. One by one, the others introduced themselves as well and, before long, they were chatting as though they had known each other for many years. She hadn't been certain how to answer their questions about why an American girl had come to Hogwarts, and was quite thankful that they didn't ask why she looked older than seventeen. She had told them she was an exchange student from the Salem Witches Institute. She still wasn't sure how that would go over once they reached Hogwarts, but as she watched the majestic castle coming near, she determined to worry about that detail later.


	4. Long Night

A/N: Well, considering this will be my final chapter of 2007, I'll say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! Have a good holiday!

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Chapter 4

Long Night

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As the Hogwarts Express began to slow down, the compartment door slid open. Catherine stood in the doorway, a yellowish envelope clutched in her hands.

"Granger," Catherine said. "the conductor told me to give this to you." She tossed the envelope from where she stood. Hermione, not expecting to have the letter thrown at her, failed to catch it and it hit her in the face. Catherine chuckled rather darkly.

"Sorry." she said in a voice that clearly said she wasn't sorry in the slightest. Phoebe suddenly recalled Harry's words from many years before; '_Catherine wasn't always the sweet girl you see today. She was… a bit of a bitch._' Harry stood to his feet.

"Who pissed in your porridge this morning?" He asked, looking furious. It was evident to Phoebe that, even then, Harry cared very deeply for his hazel-eyed friend. Catherine shrugged.

"No one." Without another word, she turned and left. Hermione had opened the envelope and began to read. Her expression grew darker the farther she read. By the time the train pulled into Hogmeade Station, Hermione's hazel eyes, shining with happiness only moments ago, were now dark and she seemed lost.  
"You okay?" Phoebe asking her quietly, as the others began collecting their belongings. None of them seemed to notice that Hermione looked as though she'd had her entire world torn apart. Hermione looked up at her.

"I… no, not… not really. It's okay, though. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me, Lilly…" Phoebe realized with a start, as she gazed concernedly into Hermione's eyes, that the letter may well be from Dumbledore. She knew Hermione left Hogwarts shortly after Christmas on a mission for the Headmaster. Perhaps this was his way of summoning her to his office. It was possible that he had already informed her of what he needed her to do and was about to tell her she was going to have to do it.

"Are you sure?" Phoebe asked quietly. Hermione nodded, though Phoebe noticed her hand was shaking rather badly as she hefted her bag onto her shoulder.

"Yeah, I… I'll be okay, I… I've been through… a lot worse than this in the past." Hermione turned and left. With a sudden wave of sadness, Phoebe recalled that Miley and Danielle had been born mere months earlier. Phoebe suddenly held a great deal more respect for Hermione than ever before. She'd attended Hogwarts, while hiding the fact that she was pregnant. Been through God only knew what at the hands of her father over the summer, and yet… here she was, preparing to risk her life on a mission against Lord Voldemort… a mission which would leave her cursed with terrible pain for eight years. At long last Phoebe turned and left the compartment. She allowed herself to be shunted toward the exit. Once outside on the platform, she overheard a loud voice calling out. She turned a spotted a very tall man with a shaggy beard.

"Firs' years! Firs' years, over here!" Phoebe knew the man's name was Hagrid, having met him several times during Order meetings. She understood that first years at Hogwarts traveled across the lake to get to the school. Phoebe was quite pleased, considering how frigid the night air was, that she was not going to be among them.

The journey up to the castle in a convoy of a hundred horseless carriages. Phoebe managed to find a seat in a carriage with Harry and the others. By the times they reached Hogwarts, it had begun to rain. Slipping and sliding on the drenched ground, they made their way inside.

--------------------------------

**MAGIC SCHOOL. JUNE 3rd, 2012**

"I just wish there were something we could do."

"Well, there isn't, Ginny." Catherine said sharply. "At least, not until Phoebe gets back."

"And just where did you send her?" Harry asked.

"There's something in the past she needs to see, something she needs to understand. Phoebe is the only chance we have of reaching Hermione. If Phoebe can gleam a bit of knowledge from past events, we might just manage to survive this." Ginny sighed.

"I just feel so useless. You know me, Kat. I'm Ginny Weasley, I like to stay busy."

"I know your name, jackass." Catherine muttered, flipping through the Book of Shadows. "You want to stay busy, go get me a cauldron. We've got an arsenal of potions to mix."

"Potions?" Harry said. "What on earth are they for?" Catherine smiled.

"We're going to attack Hogwarts."

---------------------------------

**HOGWARTS CASTLE. SEPTEMBER 1st, 1997. **

The Start-of-Term feast had been an interesting affair, to say the least. Professor McGonagall had caught Phoebe as she and her companions entered the school. She had been told that as an exchange student, she would be sorted separately from the first years. This startled Phoebe, as no one had known she was coming. McGonagall had taken Phoebe up to the Headmaster's office, where Professor Dumbledore placed the Sorting Hat on her head. It quickly placed her in Gryffindor. Then McGonagall led Phoebe back to the Great Hall, where she left Phoebe at the Gryffindor Table. It wasn't until later that night that Phoebe got answers. While she sat alone in the empty common room, Catherine appeared in front of the armchair she sat in. Phoebe leapt to her feet, startled.

"Hmm… Gryffindor, I see." Catherine said. "That'll make things easier." Phoebe glared at her.

"Would you mind telling me what the hell is going on." Catherine smiled.

I suppose I should, shouldn't I? Very well. We are in a memory. Combined memories, really. I took them from Harry, Hermione, Ginny… you get the picture."

"If this is a memory, shouldn't I just be a passive observer?" Phoebe asked.

"Yes, but I didn't want you to be. I wanted you to actually be here. So, I'm sure you're wondering how no one has recognized you yet. I'm guessing you told a few people you were from another school?"

"Yes, I…"

"I didn't ask you, I was simply stating what I believed. Now, the reason everyone believes you're an exchange student, not to mention that nobody realized you're a Charmed One, is because you didn't want them to. This is a memory, not time-travel. You could alter anything you wished, though because you are here to learn about the past, I would ask that you don't. You can't actually change the past here. Anything you do, will not have any affect on the real world, so don't worry about screwing up the future. Just attend classes, make a few friends, and keep close to my mother. She's the reason you're here, after all. Oh, and… try not to take anything my past self says too seriously. I was a little… well, I wasn't exactly the nicest person around back then. Good luck… and if you need me, just yell." Catherine disappeared. Phoebe sighed and sank back into her chair. If she had expected Catherine's visit to comfort her, she had been sorely disappointed. Nevertheless, at least she now knew why she was here and that she unlikely to be discovered. Not feeling remotely sleepy, but knowing she had many long days ahead of her, she climbed the stairs up to the seventh year girl's dormitory. She discovered to her surprise that a trunk with her name on it sat at the foot of her four poster bed, which sat between Hermione's bed on the right and Lavender Brown's on the left. She didn't bother to look inside it, already able to guess that it would contain everything she would need to survive a year at Hogwarts. Instead, she fell fully clothed onto her bed. It took her several hours to finally fall asleep. Had she bothered to look toward the bed to the right, she would have noticed that she wasn't the only person in the dormitory lying awake that night.


	5. First Day

A/N: Well, I did say chapter 4 would be the last chapter of 2007. Considering it's no longer 2007, I thought I'd update and make myself useful.

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Chapter 5

First Day

----------------------------

The next morning came far too soon in Phoebe's opinion. She woke very early and dressed quickly with the other girls in her dormitory. Hermione invited her to go down to breakfast together, and Phoebe happily accepted. Hermione also asked Catherine to join them, however she flatly refused. So, Hermione and Phoebe left Gryffindor Tower alone. Phoebe couldn't help but notice that Hermione seemed very sad as they descended the many staircases to the Great Hall.

"What's up?" Phoebe asked as they reached the Entrance Hall. Hermione didn't answer immediately. She seemed to be deciding how best to phrase her answer.

"Nothing you can help me with, I'm afraid." Hermione said softly. "Thanks, though, Lilly. You seem to be the only one who notices things like this, I… I don't really have many people who care. Harry and Ron do, of course, but… but sometimes I really… I really miss my mother."

"Yeah, it's a shame what happened to her. I wish I…" Phoebe suddenly stopped, realizing with a jolt of horror that she had made a mistake.

"How… how do you know about…? You can't possibly know about… about…" Phoebe knew she was in trouble. She could lie, and maybe get away with it… but this was Hermione she was talking to, and she had _never _been able to lie to Hermione. Realizing she had no choice, Phoebe said,

"I do know. I know about you, your father, and Danielle. Don't ask me how, because you'd never believe me anyway. Suffice to say, I'm here to help. I'm not evil, so you don't have to worry. Just… pretend I'm like everyone else. I know it's hard to trust people in times like these, but… I need you to trust me." Hermione had been avoiding Phoebe's gaze while she had been talking. When she looked up and met Phoebe's chocolate brown stare, she knew she could trust her.

"Mi, please…" Phoebe whimpered. "You have to trust me." Hermione nodded slowly.

"I do." she whispered. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she added, "I don't know why. I don't even know you, but… there's just… something about you. Something, I… can't place, but it's… definitely there." Phoebe smiled.

"Oh, I just have a '_charming_' personality." Phoebe turned and entered the Great Hall. Hermione remained where she stood for a moment, her eyes following Phoebe as she walked away.

"Yeah…" she whispered to herself. "Charming…" She looked as though she had just arrived at an amazing discovery. Whatever it was, she must have dismissed it, because when she sat down between Ginny and Phoebe at the Gryffindor Table a few minutes later, she didn't say a word about it.

"'Morning, Mione." Harry said from across the table. Hermione gave him a warm smile and rolled her eyes at Ron, whose mouth was so full he was unable to form words.

"Schedules." Harry said, handing one to Hermione, having already finished passing them out to the rest of the group.

"Damn it, Double Potions first." Ron said, having apparently managed to swallow. "Of course, we're still with the Slytherins."

"And Divination after that." Harry groaned. "_Delightful_ morning."

"You two should have dropped that old fraud's class like I did." Hermione said, buttering herself a biscuit.

"What classes are you taking, Lilly?" Harry asked Phoebe, ignoring his hazel-eyed companion's quip.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, Potions, Transfiguration, Ancient Runes, Charms, and Arithmancy." Phoebe responded, examining her own schedule. Harry chuckled.

"Damn, that's exactly what Hermione's taking." Ron said. "I'm guessing you're obsessed with learning too?" A scone rose off the table and hurled itself at Ron, smacking him in the face. Hermione continued to eat her biscuit, a slight smirk on her lips, as the rest of the table exploded with laughter. After breakfast, they stood and descended the cold, drafty stairs to Professor Snape's classroom, down in the dungeons. Two hours of mixing ridiculously complicated potions, while Snape prowled, bat-like, among them, took a toll on all their nerves.

Once dismissed from class, (During which Snape had threatened them all by saying he fully intended to poison the entire class during dinner one night that term, and warned them that if their antidotes failed to cure them and they died, they would not be let off homework.) Harry and Ron set off for Divination, while Hermione and Phoebe headed for Arithmancy. Phoebe couldn't help but notice how easily she was able to talk to Hermione. It had taken years, two wars, and an affair to forge their friendship in Phoebe's time, and yet… They chatted as though they had always been the best of friends. .

--------------------------

Hermione and Phoebe met up with Harry and Ron in the Great Hall for lunch after class. Both boys were in an incredibly foul mood as they sat down at the table.

"What the hell is that old bat going to have us find in a crystal ball next term?" Ron was saying, as the girls took their seats. "Atlantis?" Hermione's head jerked up. Phoebe gazed at her curiously. Hermione was staring at Harry, and Phoebe couldn't help but notice the love she had for him already burning in her eyes… and also the regret. Phoebe then understood. Even now, Hermione knew… knew about her destiny, about Atlantis, and about the curse that came with it. As she came to this realization, she asked herself a question she had never thought of before: Why? Why would a person who loves everyone with all her heart, who would do anything for anyone, who had signed away her life in order to save Phoebe's, would have to go through everything Hermione had. Seventeen years old, and already she had been through hell and come back once again. She'd been tormented and raped by her father, then sent on a mission that would result in a curse being placed on her that would cause her unbearable pain for eight years. She'd been chased out of her home by the people she had deeply trusted. Upon her return, she was captured and held in a prison for months, where she was subjected to God only knew what kind of torture. Not to mention, doing all of that, knowing that a terrible destiny still lay before her. What had Hermione done to deserve suffering such horrors? Hermione was the sweetest, most loving and selfless person knew, and yet she had been put through more than the most terrible people Phoebe had ever known. Recalling with sudden clarity how, even when she had lost everything, Hermione had stood resolute. She hadn't even seemed sad, but Phoebe could only guess at the agony she felt in her heart. The unjustness of it all had Phoebe in tears by the time they reached their next class.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, her eyes full of concern. "Why are you crying?" Phoebe hurriedly wiped her eyes and shook her head.

"It… it's nothing. I just… it's about my friend, she… she's been through a lot of pain in her life, and… she really didn't deserve any of it." Hermione smiled slightly as they took seats in the back of the class.

"Well, at least she has you. It helps… having someone who cares." Phoebe nodded.

"I do care. I care about you more than you could ever know, Mione…" Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"Me? You said you were talking about…" Phoebe sighed, mentally cursing herself. Although she knew Hermione would have to know sooner or later, she would have rather had it be later… much, much later. However, she had already messed up twice in one day. Her emotions kept getting the best of her. Hermione clearly knew something was up, but she couldn't tell her the truth, not yet.

"I… I didn't mean… misspoke, you understand. I meant my friend, Miley." She said, saying the first name that came to mind. Hermione still looked unconvinced, but didn't press the issue.

--------------------------

Life at Hogwarts went rather smoothly over the next two months. Phoebe had not slipped up and revealed her secret, nor had Snape managed to poison them all yet. Luna had been pulled from the school after only two weeks. Her father felt that her time would be better spent hunting nonexistent magical creatures. Phoebe found the final year at Hogwarts to be quite challenging, even compared to learning magic without a teacher as she had done upon first discovering her Charmed heritage. The only bright spot on the horizon was the first Hogsmeade trip of the term, which would take place on December 3rd. Harry was demanding almost daily Quidditch practices after Hufflepuff went down to Slytherin one hundred and ninety points to ten, so Phoebe and Hermione would be taking the trip alone.

"She actually said that?" Phoebe asked as they strolled down the High Street.

"Yes," Hermione said laughing. "I never thought I'd hear Mrs. Weasley using such language, but when Ginny showed up at the Burrow with Draco Malfoy, she just lost it."

"What ever happened with that?" Phoebe inquired.

"Nothing, really. Ginny dumped that boy six different times last year. Personally, I think she's still in love with Harry, but with that girl, who knows?" Hermione said.

"Ooooh, Mione." Phoebe exclaimed, shivering in the cold. "Can we go somewhere warm? I'm freezing!" Hermione smiled.

"Let's go to the Three Broomsticks." she said. "You can try Butterbeer. I think you'll like it." Hermione led Phoebe through the crowed streets and into the small pub. Phoebe found them a table in the corner next to a massive Christmas tree, while Hermione ordered drinks.

"Here." Hermione said, handing Phoebe a steaming mug, while taking a small sip from her own. Phoebe, who had visited Hogmeade several times, had never tasted Butterbeer before. Upon taking a single drink from her mug, she instantly regretted not having done so earlier.

"I love Hogsmeade during Christmas." Hermione said, smiling and looking out the window at the snow-covered buildings that looked like life sized gingerbread houses. "It's _so _beautiful." Phoebe smiled to herself.

"It's not the only thing that is." Hermione arched her eyebrows.

"Are you complimenting me, Ms. Stuart?" Hermione asked. Phoebe's eyes widened.

'_Oh hell_…' she thought.

"Did… um… did I say that out loud?" Hermione nodded, smirking slightly.

"Would you believe me if I said I was talking about Hogwarts?" Phoebe asked nervously.

"Nope?"

"What if I meant myself?"

"No."

"That Christmas tree?"

"I don't think so." Phoebe sighed.

"Alright, fine… I _was _talking about you." she admitted.

"And what's so terrible about that?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Nothing, I just thought… never mind. I'm making such a fool of myself…"

"Don't feel _too_ bad." Hermione said smiling. "I've heard _much _worse lines than that in the past… many of them coming from Ron…" She said the last bit with a slight grimace, which caused Phoebe to laugh. Phoebe looked up at Hermione, who had not joined her in laughter, though she did have an amused smile on her face. Phoebe noticed, with a sudden jolt of happiness, that it was back. The sparkle Hermione's eyes had always had when they first met, which had long since vanished, had reappeared. Phoebe could hardly believe she hadn't noticed it before. Perhaps whatever caused it to disappear hadn't taken place yet. Whatever it was, Phoebe had the sudden urge to stop it from happening, but knew she couldn't.

"Lilly…" Hermione said, gazing curiously at her. "Lilly, are you still there?" Phoebe jumped at the sound of Hermione's voice, then turned a bright shade of magenta upon realizing she had been staring absentmindedly into Hermione's eyes.

"C'mon," Hermione said, standing to her feet. "there's something I want to show you."

"What?" Phoebe asked. Hermione shook her head.

"Nope, I'm not going to tell you. If you want to know, you'll just have to come with me."

-----------------

Hermione led Phoebe out of the village and into the surrounding mountains. For nearly two hours and hiked through the thick foliage, thorns snagging at their clothing. At long last, they emerged from the trees into a sprawling, snow-covered valley.

"What is…" Phoebe began. Hermione gestured skyward. Phoebe looked up and gasped. Above her was the most beautiful sight she had ever laid eyes on, given he didn't count the girl standing beside her. Billions of stars drifted overhead. She had never before seen so many stars, so clearly, before.

"Mi, this is _amazing_."

"I know." Hermione said, melting a large area of snow with her wand and laying back on the soft grass. As Phoebe laid down next to her, Hermione added, "I come here sometimes, when I need to get away from… well, everything." Phoebe was truly touched. This place was obviously very special to Hermione, and the fact that she had taken Phoebe, someone she barely knew, here meant something.

"Thank you…" Phoebe whispered. "for showing me this, I mean. Really, thanks." Hermione didn't respond. Phoebe looked over at Hermione and smiled. Hermione was fast asleep.

"Good night, angel." Phoebe whispered. Yawning widely, she conjured blankets to cover them both, took Hermione's hand in her own, and within seconds, she was asleep.


	6. The Happiest Holiday

Chapter 6

The Happiest Holiday

_----------------------------_

_I don't think about it._

_I don't think about it._

_I don't think about it, being myself there ain't no doubt about it._

_I won't cry any tears. _

_I'll just live without fear. _

_I'm so happy cuz' I'm livin my life and I don't think about it. _

_--_Emily Osment "_I Don't Think About It_"

-------------------------------------------------

Phoebe awoke with one thought in mind: She was very cold. Without opening her eyes, she shifted closer to the only source of warmth she could find in her semi-conscious state. When her nose touched something soft and curly, her eyes fluttered open. Sleepily, she sat up and the blanket she had conjured the previous night slid off her. She looked to her left and smiled. Hermione was still sleeping, the new-fallen snow peppering her chestnut curls. She looked so peaceful that Phoebe hated to wake her. She had almost convinced herself not to, considering it was Sunday so they had no classes. However, the thought of how much trouble they would both be in if anyone discovered that they had spent the night several miles outside of Hogmeade was enough to change her mind. She did, however, decide to wait half an hour before disturbing Hermione… where was the harm in dawdling a little bit? Phoebe laid back again and looked up at the clear, blue sky. It was hard to believe, in her current situation, to believe that the horrors that Lord Voldemort brought upon the world truly existed. Everything around her was so peaceful and beautiful, so much so that she wished she could stay here forever. When she thought back to the life she had in her own time, she felt that she would be much happier here because no matter what the outcome of the war, the world would never be the same again. Hermione was gone, with no way to reach her. Her sisters and most of her friends were dead, and they had almost no hope of stopping Dumbledore anyway. Without warning, Hermione's voice whispered in Phoebe's ear.

"I won't just abandon you."

"What?" Phoebe asked, tilting her head to look toward Hermione… who was still sleeping.

"Don't worry." Hermione's voice continued. "Don't be afraid, I'll come for you. I will not abandon you, just remember that."

"I will." Phoebe said.

"You'll.. what?" Hermione asked, looking up at Phoebe through sleepy eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" Hermione nodded.

"Poor baby." Phoebe cooed sympathetically. "I was just thinking out loud. I didn't realize I was talking so loudly."

"What were you thinking about?" Hermione asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Phoebe responded.

"As many times as I've heard that excuse, I'm going to have to use it someday. You can talk to me, though. You know that, right?"

"Of course I do, Mi. It's just… personal." Hermione nodded.

"I understand." Hermione looked skyward. "What time is it?"

"Eleven thirty." Phoebe said, checking her watch.

"We should get back to school, then, before someone misses us." Hermione stood, vanished their blanket with her wand, and was about to take Phoebe's hand and help her to her feet when a jet of green light missed Hermione's outstretched hand by centimeters. A pair of Death Eaters charged out of the trees, spells arching from their wands. Hermione instinctively pulled Phoebe behind her and drew her wand.

"Protego!" She shouted. The shield spell wouldn't last long, but it might give them a few precious extra seconds.

"When I tell you to," Hermione said, her eyes not leaving the Death Eaters. "run… straight into the trees. Don't look back, Lilly. I'll be right behind you."

"Mi…" Phoebe began to protect, but Hermione cut her off.

"Not now, Lilly!" Hermione growled. "Just do as I say." She waited five more seconds, until the Death Eaters were barely four yards away, before she ordered Phoebe to run. Phoebe didn't hesitate. She took off into the woods, dodging trees and thickets and stumbling in rabbit holes. An explosion that shook the ground and sent a blast wave through the trees sounded behind her, but she didn't stop. She kept running until she reached the outskirts of Hogsmeade, where she sank onto the ground, gasping for breath. She looked behind her and saw no sign of Hermione.

"Please…" she whispered. As if on cue, Hermione emerged from the trees twenty feet to Phoebe's right. She had a very bad burn on her left side, and her face and both of her arms were badly scratched. As she approached, Phoebe noticed she walked with a slight limp. Phoebe scrambled to her feet and hurried over.

"Are you okay?" she asked, gripping her friend around the shoulders and relieving some of the pressure off her injured leg.

"I've had worse, believe me." Hermione said. "We've got to get back to Hogwarts. I need to report this. Hogsmeade was supposed to be safe. The entire village has been put under every sort of magical protection imaginable. How they got in… I have no idea."

"We can't worry about that right now, Mi." Phoebe said. "We need to get you to the hospital wing."

-----------------------------

"How is she?"

"Just a few cuts and bruises. She'll live."

"Good." Harry said, giving Phoebe a warm smile. "I'm glad you were with her out there." Phoebe frowned.

"Hermione's the one that saved us. I just ran a couple of miles." Harry chuckled.

"Be that as it may, she wasn't alone against two Death Eaters. You may not have done battle with powerful dark wizards, but you gave her a reason to fight a little harder." Noticing Phoebe's curious look, he added, "She wanted to protect you." Harry sighed and checked his watch. "Damn, I'm going to be late for a meeting with Dumbledore. Tell Mione I came by, would you?" Phoebe nodded. Harry turned and left the hospital wing. Phoebe sat alone for several more minutes until Madam Pomfrey emerged from behind the curtains surrounding Hermione's bed.

"She wants to see you." Madam Pomfrey said. Phoebe stood and walked around the curtain.

"Hi." Hermione said with a sleepy smile.

"Hey, how are you doing, sweetheart?" Phoebe asked, sitting down at her bedside.

"I would be fine," Hermione said in drowsy, bemused tones. "unfortunately Madam Pomfrey insists on keeping me doped up with these damn potions. You don't know this, but last year I had my left leg broken in seventeen different places and I'll swear the healers at St. Mungo's didn't give me half as many potions to make me sleep as much as that woman does."

"Enjoy the extra rest." Phoebe told her. "You deserve it."

"We're at war, Phoebe. I barely have time for school with the constant Order meetings. I need to talk with Dumbledore about new spells on Hogsmeade."

"No, you need to rest. Look, you're going to work yourself to death one day, Mi. You've got to take a break once in a while. This one was placed at your feet. Enjoy it."

"You know, you're too smart for your own good." Hermione whispered. "I think I will enjoy it."

"I'll stay here, Mi. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Thanks…" Hermione whispered, teetering on the edge of falling asleep.

"Good night, Mi." Phoebe said, giving Hermione a swift kiss on her forehead. "I love you."

"Yeah," Hermione said softly. "I love you too."

----------------------------

It next to no time, Christmas was upon Hogwarts. Nearly everyone was anxious to get out of Hogwarts for the holidays. Ron and Ginny were going to Romania to visit Charlie, and Harry was going with him. When Hermione had mysteriously declined Ron's invitation to accompany them, Phoebe elected to remain behind as well.

"Where is everyone?" Phoebe asked, descending the spiral staircase to the common room early one morning where Hermione sat in a large armchair by the fire, her nose buried in a large book.

"They're gone." said Hermione closing her book and placing it on the table next to her. "It's the first day of the Christmas holidays." Phoebe sat down in a chair beside Hermione and glanced down at the book she had been reading. With a start, she noticed the title of the book. _Ancient Island Nations_.

"What're you reading this for?" Phoebe asked.

"Research." Hermione shrugged. "Nothing really important, just… something for Dumbledore."

"You can tell me, Mi."

"I know, it's just… It's Christmas. Let me worry about it for now, okay? Take your own advice and take a break from all this."

"How can I?" Phoebe asked. "With Voldemort marauding all over the country."

"Don't think about it." Hermione said distractedly, opening her book once more. "I try not to."

-----------------------

So for the next fortnight, the two girls had the run of Gryffindor Tower to themselves. There were only three other students at Hogwarts over the Christmas holiday, but neither Phoebe nor Hermione saw either of them except once during Christmas dinner in the Great Hall. Hermione and Phoebe spent Christmas Day out on the grounds by the lake. It was an icy cold day and the lake had frozen solid. By mid-afternoon, Phoebe started a playful snowball fight, which soon escalated into a full-blown war. Phoebe had hidden just beyond the tree line of the dark forest. Cautiously, she peeked out from behind a tree and was rewarded with a magically accelerated blob of tightly packed snow hurtling toward her head for her trouble.

"I know you're out there, Granger!" Phoebe shouted from her hiding place behind a large redwood.

"Oh, do you now?" Hermione asked. Phoebe spun around. Hermione stood barely ten feet from her, apparently having approached her from deep within the forest. Phoebe's eyes widened.

"Oh, hell…" Phoebe muttered. Without hesitation, Phoebe turned and ran, dodging nimbly between the dark trees. Night was beginning to fall as Phoebe reached the lake. The moment her feet touched the frozen surface, she slipped and fell painfully to the ground. Hermione appeared, standing over her, arms folded across her chest, an expression of triumph on her face. A trio of snowballs floated at her shoulder, bobbing slightly in the evening breeze.

"You said you were good at this." Hermione said, smiling.

"Nobody said we were using magic, Mi." Phoebe said accusingly.

"True," Hermione admitted. "but then nobody said we weren't either."

"Next time, let's clarify the rules first." Phoebe suggested.

"Alright, deal. From now on, we decide on the rules first."

"Fine." Phoebe said. "But for future reference, you might want to make sure I'm not allowed to do _this!_" Without warning, Phoebe lunged outward and grabbed Hermione's leg. With an almighty tug, she pulled Hermione's leg out from under her. Unfortunately for Phoebe, she failed to calculate exactly where Hermione would fall. Instead of landing on the spot Phoebe had expected, she fell directly on top of Phoebe, knocking the breath out of the middle Halliwell. Despite her pain, Phoebe couldn't help but laugh. Neither, apparently, could Hermione.

"You are truly evil, Lilly Stuart." Hermione said, the laughter not dying from her face.

"Maybe I should join Voldemort." Phoebe said.

"No…" Hermione told her. "I'd miss you too much." And as their eyes met in the semidarkness, Phoebe realized she had never been happier in her life than she was in this moment. Phoebe reached up and carefully brushed a strand of chestnut hair away from Hermione's face.

"Hermione, I…" Phoebe began, but she lost her nerve. "I think we should get back up to the castle, it's getting late." she finished sadly. Hermione looked skyward and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I suppose we should." Hermione climbed off of Phoebe and helped her to her feet. As they walked up to the glistening castle, Hermione turned toward her and asked,

"You weren't really going to say we should go back inside, were you?" Phoebe didn't respond. Hermione smiled slightly. "I didn't think so." Phoebe sincerely hoped Hermione didn't know exactly what she _had _intended to say, but had a sinking suspicion that she did. Even if she did know, right then, Phoebe couldn't care less. In the years that followed, Phoebe would continue to say that she had never experienced a better, happier holiday. It had been better than vanquishing demons, winning the war against Voldemort and Grindelwald… it was even better than learning Hermione might have a chance to come back from Atlantis. No matter what, she would never, ever, forget that night. And as she arrived at this thought, she cautiously took Hermione's hand. Hermione smiled at her gave her hand a soft squeeze. In that moment, her life was absolutely perfect.

"Hey, look!" Hermione exclaimed, looking skyward. "A shooting star. I wish for an end to this terrible war." she looked to Phoebe. "What do you wish for?" Phoebe looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Not a thing," she said pleasantly, pulling Hermione into a tight hug. "I've got everything I could ever want already."

_If only she knew that both of their lives would soon be torn apart... _


	7. Shattered

Chapter 7

Shattered

---------------------------

_Storybook endings  
Fairy tales coming true  
Deep down inside  
We want to believe they still do  
In our secretest heart  
It's our favorite part of the story  
Let's just admit  
We all want to make it to _

Ever ever after  
If we just don't get it our own way  
Ever ever after  
It may only be a wish away 

_Start a new fashion  
Wear your heart on your sleeve  
Sometimes you reach what's realest  
By making believe  
Unafraid, unashamed  
There is joy to be claimed in this world_

_No wonder your heart  
Feels it's flying  
Your head feels it's spinning  
Each happy ending's  
A brand new beginning  
Let yourself be enchanted  
You just might break through _

To ever ever after 

--Carrie Underwood "_Ever Ever After_"

------------------------------------------------

All to soon, in Phoebe's opinion, the Christmas holidays were over and the rest of the students returned to the school. Over the following week, Phoebe couldn't help but notice that Hermione was spending more time alone, reading. She seemed to be pulling away from all her friends, splitting herself from the rest of the school. At first, Phoebe felt hurt and betrayed by her friend's attitude, but soon realized her reasons for acting how she was. Any day now, she would be departing on her mission for Dumbledore, leaving everyone she cared about behind.

However, another week passed and Hermione had not yet left. Phoebe and Hermione made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast on Friday morning. Phoebe tried to make conversation as they walked, but Hermione only responded with the shortest sentences she could manage and never spoke at all unless Phoebe did so first. When they reached the Great Hall, Harry waved them over to the table with a cheery "Good morning!".

"Good morning, Harry." Phoebe responded. Hermione didn't say anything, instead she gave Harry a weak smile and rolled her eyes at the furious argument Ron and Ginny were having over a supposed illegal move in a chess game they were playing.

"Double Transfiguration this morning." Harry told them, helping himself to more bacon. After twenty minutes, they set off together toward the Transfiguration classroom. As the day passed, Phoebe couldn't help but notice that Hermione seemed to be becoming less focused on her schoolwork. She was no longer paying attention in class and appeared to be anxious for the bell to ring that signaled the end of the day's lessons. Perhaps, Phoebe thought, when Hermione told them she wouldn't be joining them in the Great Hall, that tonight would be the night Hermione left. This turned out the be true.

By eleven o'clock that night, Hermione left Gryffindor Tower only five minutes before the students were required to be in their common rooms for the night, claiming she had to get something from the library. A few minutes after Hermione departed, Harry got up without speaking and left the Tower as well, leaving Phoebe and Ron alone at their table. Phoebe felt certain that this was the night Hermione was leaving, and knew that once she left, she would have no way to find her. She felt sure that this was her reason for being her, to follow Hermione, not to hang around Hogwarts. Catherine had wanted her… to… That was it! _Catherine_! Phoebe immediately stood and scrambled up the staircase to her empty dormitory. Without hesitation, she called out Catherine's name. Almost instantly, Catherine appeared beside her.

"Damn, Phoebe." Catherine said. "I was a little busy back home. What's wrong?"

"I think tonight's the night Hermione's going to leave. I've got no idea where she's going or how to follow her. I don't know what to do."

"Go to the top of the Astronomy Tower. Hermione and Harry met there before she left. Try to intercept her before she leaves, but I wouldn't let Harry see you. If you can't get to her before she leaves, call me again. We'll come up with something."

"Alright." Phoebe said. "Thanks." Catherine nodded.

"Good luck."

-----------------------

Phoebe left the common room and ran flat out toward the Astronomy Tower. Panting, she reached the door. She paused upon hearing voices on the other side of the hardwood door.

"You don't have to do this." Harry was saying. Phoebe carefully pushed the door open enough to see inside the room.

"Yes, I do." Hermione said. "Dumbledore asked me to do it, and I said yes. It'll be dangerous, but I'm willing."

"Will... will I ever see you again?" Harry asked, dropping his gaze to the floor.

"I don't know, Harry. I'd like to think so, but where I'm going..."

"Where are you going?"

"You know I can't tell you about that. In fact, I doubt you or anyone other than Dumbledore will ever know where I'm going."

"Mione... promise me you'll come back. Promise me that somehow, someway, you'll manage to find your way back to me." Tears began to stream down Hermione's face as she pulled Harry into a tight hug.

"I... I... I'll try, Harry. I'll try, but there's something I need you to do for me, Harry."

"Anything." Harry whispered.

"I need you to try and get along with Catherine. I know you don't like her, but I've been spending a lot of time with her, and... well, she's changed. She's not all that bad once you get to know her. I think she'd like a friend while I'm away." Harry sighed.

"If you were anyone else, Mione. Fine, but only because you're the best friend I've ever had." Suddenly, Harry leaned in and kissed her. Phoebe had the sudden urge to charge through the doorway and give Harry a firm kick between the…

"Good luck." Harry said, interrupting Phoebe as she planned on exactly the best way to ambush him as he came back down the stairs.

"Luck won't help, Harry. Be safe." With that, Hermione climbed onto the broom, grabbed her bag, and took off into the night. Harry turned and left the tower. Phoebe ran as quietly as she could back down the stairs and hid herself behind a table supporting a collection of telescopes. Once Harry was well out of earshot, Phoebe stood and called Catherine's name once again.

"Jesus Christ, yes, Phoebe?" Catherine exclaimed reappearing before her. "I swear, I _just _left."

"I'm sorry, Kat." Phoebe said. "Hermione left before Harry did. I couldn't stop her." Catherine nodded.

"Alright, then. Here's what you do. Focus on Hermione… no, not with your mind, with your heart. Collect everything you feel for her and focus on that. Concentrate on being at her side. It'll take you right to her."

"Really?" Phoebe asked.

"Why would I lie, Phoebe? Now, we're rather busy back home. Nobody's saying too much, but we're planning something big. Be careful." Catherine vanished. Phoebe sighed and sat down on the floor. She focused all her thoughts on Hermione, and as she did so, she disappeared…

------------------------

… and reappeared, floating several feet above a bed in a tiny room in the Leaky Cauldron. As gravity at last took hold of her, she fell downward and landed next to Hermione, who had her nose buried, once again, in a book she was reading only by the light of a small candle. When Phoebe hit the mattress, Hermione screamed and leapt out of bed, her wand aimed directly at Phoebe.

"Hermione, it's all right!" Phoebe exclaimed. "It's me."

"Lilly?" Hermione asked, lighting her wand and casting the narrow beam over the bed. "Goddamn, you scared the shit out of me! What the _hell_ are you doing here?!"

"I… I… Harry told me you'd left. I couldn't just let you go alone. I wanted to help!"

"You can help me by going back to Hogwarts." Hermione told her. "This isn't something for two people to do. I have to do this by myself, and I can't do this if you're tagging along."

"But, Mi…"

"Lilly, this is dangerous! No one was supposed to know what I was doing, but I had to tell Harry and Ron…"

"What?" Phoebe asked in a hurt voice. "You don't trust me?"

"Of _course _I do, Lilly. That's why I don't want you here. Look, where I'm going… it's very dangerous. I probably won't ever be coming back. I _can't _take you with me, Lilly… I can't put you in danger. If you ended up dying or getting hurt, I'd never forgive myself."

"And I would never forgive myself if I let you go by yourself." Phoebe countered. She sat up in bed and folded her arms across her chest. She noticed that Hermione looked thoroughly frustrated. Phoebe could understand why. If she refused to allow Phoebe to stay, Phoebe would simply follow her at a distance, which would put her in perhaps more danger than if she allowed her to come. On the other hand, if Phoebe _did _come, Hermione, having a protective nature, would have to split her focus between her work and protecting Phoebe. In the end, there was only one option.

"Fine," Hermione said furiously. "you can stay. But you have to promise me that you'll do exactly as I say exactly when I say it." Phoebe smiled sweetly.

"Oh, I'd be pleased to do _anything _you want me to." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I sure you would." she said, slipping back into bed and placing her book on the nightstand.

"So," Phoebe said, shifting over onto her own side of the bed, noticing with some discomfort that the bed was very small. "what are we doing out here?"

"Nothing I can speak about here." Hermione said wearily. "I can't be sure no one is listening in. For now, just accept that what we're doing is extremely dangerous, extremely important, and extremely secret." Hermione turned to lay on her right side so she was facing Phoebe. Phoebe reached out and took Hermione's hand.

"Are you afraid, Mi?" Phoebe asked in a quiet voice.

"I'm terrified, Lil. C'mon, let's get some sleep. We're going to need it over the next couple of months." Phoebe nodded.

"'Night, Mi." she whispered. "I love you." Phoebe could just make out the smile on Hermione's face as she blew out the solitary candle, plunging the room into total darkness.

"I love you, too, Lilly."


	8. The Sins of Our Past

-----------------------

Chapter 8

The Sins of Our Past…

_------------------------_

_Just a castaway_

_An island lost at sea_

_Another lonely day_

_No-one here but me_

_More loneliness_

_Than any man could bear_

_Rescue me before I fall into despair_

_I'll send an SOS to the world_

_I'll send an SOS to the world_

_I hope that someone gets my_

_I hope that someone gets my_

_I hope that someone gets my_

_Message in a bottle_

_Message in a bottle_

_A year has passed since I wrote my note_

_But I should have known this right from the start_

_Only hope can keep me together_

_Love can mend your life_

_But love can break your heart_

_Walked out this morning_

_Don't believe what I saw_

_A hundred billion bottles_

_Washed up on the shore_

_Seems I'm not alone in being alone_

_A hundred billion castaways_

_Looking for a home_

_Sending out an SOS_

_Sending out an SOS_

_I'm sending out an SOS_

_I'm sending out an SOS..._

--The Police "_Message in a Bottle_"

-------------------------------------------

Phoebe awoke the next morning to the sound of the small shower running in the bathroom. She sighed and stretched out in the uncomfortably cold bed, disappointed that Hermione was no longer there to help keep her warm as she had during the night. The sound of the shower shutting down met Phoebe's ears, and Hermione tiptoed out of the bathroom, wrapped loosely in a towel, her hair and body still dripping with water. Phoebe quickly pretended to be asleep, knowing all too well that Hermione was trying to keep quiet in an attempt to let her sleep late. Across the room, Hermione released her towel and pulled a fluffy white bathrobe around herself. She then sat down at the tiny, round table and began consulting two books, a map, and a holographic globe which projected from a small, glowing device placed upon the tabletop. Phoebe noticed that the holographic globe spun toward whichever location Hermione's finger touched on the other map. Phoebe couldn't help but notice that the globe seemed to hover over and around the Mediterranean Sea. Phoebe was suddenly much more interested in exactly what their mission was. It clearly had something to do with Atlantis, but she couldn't possibly imagine _what_. Hermione once said in Dumbledore's office that she wasn't even sure the island _existed_. Why would she be looking for the island now?

"'Morning, Mi." Phoebe said sleepily from her horizontal position.

"Good morning, Phoebe." Hermione said, looking across the room at Phoebe, smiling warming. "Sleep well?"

"Very." Phoebe responded. "What are we doing today?"

"Well, we can't stay in one place for too long. Voldemort's spies are everywhere, and if we're discovered…"

"You still haven't told me what we're doing out here." Phoebe said. Hermione sighed.

"No, I suppose I haven't. Alright…" Hermione placed several privacy charms on the room and sat down at the foot of the bed.

"I'm not going to tell you everything, Lilly. I can't, not here. Simply put, Lilly… we're going to eliminate Voldemort's Inner Circle." Phoebe's jaw dropped.

"Are you telling me that Dumbledore sent you out here to assassinate Voldemort's most trusted followers?"

"That's exactly what he wants us to do." Hermione said grimly. _So, I was wrong. _Phoebe thought. _This doesn't have anything to do with Atlantis after all… though, why was she researching the place so much recently? _

"Alright, I'm confused. Why would Dumbledore send _you _to kill some of the most powerful dark wizards on Earth? Why not send an Auror?"

"He thinks an Auror would attract too much attention." Hermione explained. "As I said, Voldemort has spies everywhere. He knows the name of every Auror in the Ministry. On the other hand, Voldemort and I haven't had much contact. He has only seen me once, at the Ministry of Magic about two years ago. Dumbledore believe my movements will go relatively unnoticed… at least for a short time. Voldemort will undoubtedly notice my disappearance, but Dumbledore believes he has developed an excellent cover story to explain it. You, on the other hand… I'm sure Dumbledore will realize what you've done. I doubt Voldemort cares whether you're at Hogwarts or not, not to insult you or anything, but there's very little doubt that, in Voldemort's opinion, I'm more important than you are. With luck, he'll be more interested in me, and perhaps he will fail to realize that we're together." Hermione stood and disappeared into the bathroom.

"So, what's the plan?" Phoebe asked. "Who are we going after first?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione called from the bathroom.

"We're supposed to be hunting down Voldemort's inner circle, right? I'm assuming you know who they are… so which one are we going after first?"

"_We _aren't doing anything. You're not coming with me on these quests. You're going to stay here, where you'll be safe."

"But, Mi…" Phoebe exclaimed. "I've got to come. I came here to help!"

"I know you did, and I'm grateful. Nevertheless, I'm not going to risk your life for this."

"Hermione, I came to help, not sit here on my ass while you're… absolutely _beautiful_." Phoebe's attention had been drawn away from her frustration and onto Hermione as she walked out of the bathroom.

"_What_?" Hermione asked, brushing her straight, shoulder length, blonde hair out of her eyes. She wore a ridiculously revealing dress the likes of which Phoebe would have never imagined Hermione wearing and she gazed at Phoebe through the most lovely sky blue eyes she had ever seen.

"I… I said… I said you looked really beautiful, Mi." Hermione smiled.

"Well…" Hermione said, chuckling slightly as Phoebe tried and failed to stop staring. "you're better than Harry and Ron, I suppose. They do a lot more than stare…"

"With you dressed like that, who wouldn't?" Phoebe asked. Hermione simply smiled.

"Out of curiosity," Phoebe continued. "why _are _you dressed like that?"

"I'm meeting someone tonight." Hermione said. "Someone who knows the names and locations of everyone in Voldemort's inner circle. Unfortunately, he would recognize Hermione Granger. I'm hoping he won't recognize… well, I haven't come up with an appropriate alias yet to go with the disguise yet."

"How about Miley?" Phoebe asked, saying the first name that came to mind. Hermione seemed thoughtful for a moment.

"Hmm…" she said. "I like it."

"Well, what about me?" Phoebe asked.

"You? Didn't I tell you, you weren't coming?"

"Come on, Mi." Phoebe whined. "Please? I'd never be able to sit here while you go mingle with demons and Death Eaters and God only knows what else." Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"I know you want to help." Hermione said gently. "But the person I'm meeting is expecting one person. _One_. If you come along, he'll be suspicious. We can't risk it." Phoebe cast wildly around for another reason to use to convince Hermione to let her come.

"Well, what if we don't go together?" Phoebe asked. "I can come and watch your back from… where is it you're meeting this person?"

"A pub down in the Alley." Hermione told her, examining her disguise in a full-body mirror before tapping herself on her head with her wand, turning herself back to normal.

_Still as beautiful as always_. Phoebe thought.

"Okay, then. I can go in early and pick a table and wait for you. This guy will never have clue." Hermione's hazel eyes studied Phoebe's anxious face with something verging on exasperation.

"Fine." Hermione said at last. "One day, Lilly Stuart, I just know you're going to be the death of me." Phoebe smiled widely and flung her arms around Hermione's neck.

"Oh, thank you, _thank you_!" Phoebe exclaimed. "For a second there, I wasn't sure you were going to say yes."

"I wasn't going to." Hermione admitted. "But I assumed if you were smart enough to figure out where I went and discover a way to get here, you must not be _too_ dense."

"Thanks…" Phoebe said uncertainly. "I think."

"That's not how I meant it, Lilly." Hermione said.

"Oh, I know." Phoebe told her. "I was only joking." Hermione let out a long breath and leaned back against the lumpy mattress. She stared up at the ceiling as she spoke, not even bothering to look to her right where Phoebe lay beside her.

"We're in for a rough time, Lilly."

"Don't worry." Phoebe said gently. "I can handle it." Hermione shook her head slightly.

"I never believed you couldn't." she said, pulling her bathrobe more tightly around herself in an attempt to block out the ever-present cold. Phoebe, noticing this, moved closer to her friend. Hermione smiled as Phoebe leaned her head on her shoulder.

"Promise you'll never leave me, Mi." Phoebe whispered. Hermione sighed deeply.

"I won't." Hermione said in an equally soft voice. "Not unless I have to. Eventually, though, we all have to pay for the sins of our past."

--------------------------

"This is absolutely the worst place in the universe." Phoebe muttered to herself. She sat in the corner of a tiny, extremely dirty pub in Knockturn Alley. She sighed as she twirled a strand of her bright red hair around her finger. She and Hermione had spent several hours coming up with a proper disguise for her. No one looked at her now, with her elbow-length red hair and bright green eyes, would possibly recognize her. She had been waiting there for half an hour, averting the pub's drunken men's sexual advances and inhaling the disgusting smell of whatever form of tobacco a group of hags were smoking at the table next to her, before Hermione arrived. Now, Phoebe knew Hermione well enough to know that she did not think of herself as a seductress, but she could do a remarkable job at pretending to be one. She sat down at a table was a scruffy looking man on the other side of the room from Phoebe. They were positioned so that Hermione was facing Phoebe. Hermione gave Phoebe an acknowledging glance as she sat down. She then gave the man a soft smile and suggestively curled a lock of her blonde hair around her finger. Phoebe watched in awe as the man passed Hermione a sack of money under the table, and together, they stood and quickly climbed upstairs where Phoebe knew Hermione had booked a room, but until this moment, hadn't known exactly why. After what Phoebe hoped was enough time, Phoebe stood and followed them. It took her several minutes to discover which room they had entered. When she finally located the proper door and pushed it open, she was met with a shock. The man was lying on the floor, a large bloody knot forming on his head. Hermione sat on the bed next to him, carefully straightening her clothes.

"Oh, Mia." Hermione said, addressing her by the name they had come up with for her. "I did hope you would think to follow me."

"You never told me you were going to knock him out." Phoebe said. Hermione shrugged.

"Well, this is better than my first plan. I was going to sleep with him, but I didn't want to lower my standards _that _far."

"Fine," said Phoebe. "so now that he's unconscious, how do you intend to get the information we need?" With a smile, Hermione drew her wand.

"That, my dear Mia, is the easy part." She extended her wand and rapped the unconscious man on the side of his head rather harder than was necessary. When she pulled it away, what Phoebe recognized to be silvery thoughts were clinging to it.

"You're going to use a Pensieve?" Phoebe inquired. Hermione nodded.

"That's exactly what we're doing." Hermione shot a jet of green light at the man on the floor, completely erasing his memory. "C'mon," she continued. "We should get back to the Leaky Cauldron. We've still got a lot of work to do."


	9. Have Damned Us to Destruction

Chapter 9

…Have Damned Us to Destruction

-------------------------------------------

_I have to wonder if this waves to big to ride  
Commit or not commit is such a crazy tide_

Yet sooner than I thought  
But you called me out  
I lost control and there's no doubt  
I'm gonna start all over

Out of the fire and into the fire again  
You make me want to forget  
And start all over  
Here I come straight out of my mind or worse  
Another chance to get burned  
And start all over  
I'm gonna start all over

Fantastic and romantic all a big surprise  
You got the warning, hesitation pushed aside

Yet sooner than I want  
But you caught my heart  
I guess I'm ready now to start  
I'm gonna start all over

Out of the fire and into the fire again  
You make me want to forget   
And start all over  
Here I come straight out of my mind or worse  
Another chance to get burned  
And start all over  
I'm gonna start all over

It's so easy, you disrupt me  
Can't complain  
It's so easy, you disrupt me  
Can't complain  
It's so easy, you disrupt me  
Can't complain  
It's so easy  
I'm gonna start all over (start all over)

_Out of the fire and into the fire again  
You make me want to forget  
And start all over  
Here I come straight out of my mind or worse  
Another chance to get burned  
And start all over  
I'm gonna start all over _

--Miley Cyrus "_Start All Over"_

-------------------------------------------

**THE LEAKY CAULDRON**

Hermione collapsed on the bed the moment they arrived back at their tiny room at the Leaky Cauldron. The only motion she made was a simple waving gesture over herself with her wand, returning her appearance to normal.

"Tired?" Phoebe asked, changing back to her normal self as well.

"Like you wouldn't believe." Hermione said, her hazel eyes fluttering open just enough to watch Phoebe slip into an armchair by the window.

"So, what do we do next?" Phoebe asked, eager to move forward.

"Right now?" Hermione inquired, tilting her head toward Phoebe. "Not a damn thing.  
Tomorrow, though, we'll need to leave this place. They'll be looking for us now, Lilly."

"Where are we going?" Phoebe asked.

"I've got a couple of ideas." Hermione responded, yawning widely. "We need to stay on the move, that's a given. We'll probably drop by my Mum and Dad's house at some point. It's magically protected, and no one's been there in a couple of years. Although, I would imagine the Death Eaters are watching it none the less. If we go there, we'll have to be careful. There are a few other places I know of from my childhood where we could hide for a short time. There's one place, though, that I'm not too certain about."

"And where's that?" Phoebe asked, standing to her feet and walking to the window. She gazed down at the bustling Alley below.

"San Francisco." Hermione said. "We've had some contact in the past with three witches who live there. They're called the Charmed Ones. I've never met them, but I know their reputation. They're one of the most powerful forces of good magic in the world. They've got the power to help us, but… I don't want to put them in danger."

"I don't think they'd mind." Phoebe said, touched by the fact that Hermione cared enough about people she had never even met that she would desire to keep them from harm. Hermione sighed and stood to her feet. She walked over to her suitcase which lay on the floor. She opened it and took out a small bag filled with potion vials. She began to carefully place them in orderly rows on the table as Phoebe moved to join her.

"Any proof behind that statement?" Hermione asked. Phoebe shrugged, scooping up a vial which looked to be completely empty.

"Not really…" she said, opening the vial and peering inside. "Why've you got an empty vial here?" she asked, running her finger around the rim of the empty vial. Without warning, a sharp pain stabbed Phoebe's forefinger. She gasped and dropped the vial, which shattered. A thin trickle of blood seeped from the wound on her finger. Phoebe looked up from the cut and into Hermione's hazel eyes, which were wide with pure terror. Without a moment's hesitation, Hermione reached out and grabbed a vial of orange liquid from the table, sending other vials flying in her haste. She raced over to Phoebe and forced the sticky, foul-tasting liquid down Phoebe's throat. Phoebe was utterly bewildered at Hermione's reaction. It was only a cut, probably caused by a jagged place on the vial's rim… unless… Phoebe's thoughts were cut short by Hermione, who pulled Phoebe down onto the floor on top of her and held her there, rubbing her forefinger in a soothing circle on the base of Phoebe's neck.

"I want you to tell me the moment you feel a burning feeling throughout your entire body." Hermione said, her usually whisper-soft voice quaked with fear.

"Hermione, I…" Phoebe began.

"_Shh_!" Several minutes passed, and Phoebe still felt nothing. She was beginning to get annoyed and was on the verge of asking Hermione what was going on when it happened. An intense heat washed over her. It only lasted for several seconds, but Phoebe was certain she was being burned alive… especially considering she once _had _been burned alive.

"Well?" Hermione asked suddenly.

"I just felt it." Phoebe responded. Hermione let out a long breath.

"Oh, thank God." she said. "For a second… I thought I lost you."

"Mi, what are you talking about?" Phoebe asked, climbing over Hermione and helping her friend to her feet. "It was just a cut."

"Yes," Hermione said, still her voice shook with fear. Phoebe noticed that Hermione was trembling all over, and her tear-filled eyes were wide in terror. "it was just a cut."

"Mi, what's going on?" Phoebe asked. Hermione sank onto the foot of the bed.

"Lilly… that vial was filled with a poison so powerful it kills in under a minute. It's odorless, colorless, tasteless, and can only enter the human body through an opening in the skin. When you cut your finger on the rim of the vial…"

"I was infected." Phoebe finished.

"Exactly." Hermione said. "The potion I gave you can… occasionally… cure someone of the poison."

"So, what was all that on the floor?" Phoebe asked.

"That was a healing technique that I learned from… well, it doesn't matter where I learned it. It can be used to heal minor injuries and, if the person administering it is strong enough, it can be used to channel the pain from one person into another, while at the same time healing any minor injuries. You wouldn't want to use it to heal major wounds, however. You _might_ save the victim… but you'd kill yourself in the process."

"One day you're going to have to show me how to do that." Phoebe said, beginning to sweep up the remains of the shattered potion vials.

"Maybe one day I will." Hermione said, taking the broom Phoebe was using and cleaning up the vials herself.

"Sit down," Hermione ordered. She was still looking at Phoebe as though afraid she would drop dead at any second.

"Mi, I'm fine." Phoebe complained, but relented under Hermione's stern glare.

"You're making things very difficult for me, I hope you know that." Hermione said as she finished her sweeping and put the broom away.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Phoebe asked.

"I means…" Hermione said, searching for the proper way to word her feelings. "It means that I didn't plan on becoming this close to you. That's why I was supposed to do this alone. With you here… my attention is divided. I would do whatever I have to do to protect you, and that's a problem. I have a job to do and because I care about you I could never allow you to come to harm."

"I could go back…" Phoebe said in a disappointed tone. "If I'm in your way, I…"

"No, you… you're not in my way, well… you _are _in my way, but I couldn't do this without you now. I was supposed to do this alone… I _need _to do this alone, but I couldn't possibly keep going if you left. We're going to have to do some very difficult and immoral things on this quest, Lilly. I thought I was prepared to do these things alone… but I'm not. Some of the things we'll be doing are… evil, in a way. Dark and terrible things, they are. Lilly, I need to know one thing."

"And what's that?" Phoebe asked.

"You know what I intend to do now, how far I'm going to go to see this mission completed. Are you still with me?" Phoebe wrapped her arms around her friend and smiled.

"Till the end." she said softly, gently stroking Hermione's chestnut locks. "No matter how this plays out."

-----------------

Hermione roused Phoebe very early the following morning, far too early in Phoebe's opinion.

"I'm sorry, Lilly." Hermione said consolingly when Phoebe voiced her irritation. "But we've got to get moving. The Death Eaters are searching the Alley. It won't take them long to find us."

"Alright, alright." Phoebe muttered, climbing out of bed.

"Are you feeling alright?" Hermione asked, clearly the poison scare of the previous night was still haunting her.

"I'm fine, Mi." Phoebe answered, attempting to smooth her disheveled hair.

"Well, out of the fire, I suppose." Hermione said, sounding relieved. A resounding crash boomed behind Hermione and Phoebe's eyes widened.

"And right back into it again." Phoebe muttered as Hermione spun around, wand raised. At least a half dozen Death Eaters had burst into the room. Before Hermione could even think of casting a spell, a jet of green light hurled her across the room. She slammed into the wall and crumpled to the floor. For one, heart stopping second, Phoebe was certain Hermione had been hit by a killing curse. Phoebe didn't have long to dwell on this, however. The Death Eaters, having eliminated the most prominent threat, now turned toward Phoebe. Admittedly, Phoebe did not know a lot of magic. She'd learned enough over the years to defend herself if need be, but she was no wand master like Hermione. Nevertheless, she was determined to do everything she could to survive.

"_Lumos Solem!_" Phoebe shouted. The flash of light which burst from her wand was so bright it temporarily blinded the Death Eaters. Using the precious seconds she had bought herself, Phoebe fell at Hermione's side. Hermione did not show any signs of life, nor could Phoebe find a pulse… not that she had long to search. The Death Eaters were already regaining their sight. Only then did it hit Phoebe that Hermione couldn't _possibly _be dead. This was, of course, a memory, which meant that all of this had already happened, even though Phoebe had not been there. Following that train of thought, Phoebe arrived at the only conclusion that made sense: Hermione had a plan. She did. As the Death Eaters closed in around them, one of the black clad men's foot crushed a potion vial none of them had spotted lying on the dusty floor. A brilliantly white explosion ripped through the room, and Phoebe's world went dark.

-----------------

The only thing Phoebe knew when she awoke was that she was in a great deal of pain. She felt as though her entire body had been torn into tiny pieces and then put back together by someone who only had the vaguest idea of what a human body should look like. Deciding to put off trying to stand for as long as she could, she opened her eyes and examined the room around her. The room was a rather fancy sitting room, but looked as though no one had been there for some time. The room was very dark, the only source of light was from a roaring fire in the fireplace. The flickering flames cast a orangey glow over the area near the hearth where she lay. Gathering what strength she could, she attempted to sit up only to have someone sitting behind her aid in accomplishing that goal. Phoebe, who would recognize Hermione's amazingly soft touch anywhere, didn't even need to glance back to discover whose arms helped her sit up, nor whose chin rested on her left shoulder.

"What happened, Mi?" Phoebe asked in a sleepy voice.

"A potion exploded." Hermione's voice answered. "It was a trap I set in case we were discovered."

"So where are we?" Phoebe inquired. "How did we get here?"

"We're in my mum and dad's old house. It was the only place I could think of where we would be safe… at least for a while. As for how we got here… I regained consciousness before anyone found us and I transported us here. The explosion destroyed the Leaky Cauldron, not to mention a large portion of the Alley. That blast should have killed us, Lilly."

"I suppose we're just lucky." Phoebe said.

"Yeah… I don't believe in luck." Hermione responded. Phoebe cleared her throat.

"Mi… back in the room, I… I thought you… It looked like they…. killed you."

"I know." Hermione whispered. "But they didn't. It wasn't a killing curse, Lilly, so don't worry about it."

"I know that now, but before… when I didn't know… I was sure I'd lost you and… I _can't _lose you. I've lost so much in my life, especially recently. When that spell hit you and I thought you had died… it felt like I was dying too." Phoebe turned so she could see Hermione. Phoebe knew she shouldn't, knew she _couldn't_, but in that moment, she decided to screw the rules, screw what Catherine wanted her to see. For the first time in a long time, Phoebe wanted something and she decided to take it. Hermione studied Phoebe's face with an expression of curiosity. In that moment, Phoebe did the only thing that seemed natural… the only thing that seemed right. She kissed her, and the next thing Phoebe could remember was the shimmering golden sun peaking through the sitting room's windows.

------------------------

Hermione was nowhere to be found when Phoebe awoke the following morning. She rolled off the couch where she and Hermione had slept the previous night and began to search the house. The rest of the house was exactly like the sitting room, everything was properly in its place… not even a book was left out of the bookcases she passed in the library. She found Hermione leaning against the doorframe which led to what was obviously Hermione's old bedroom. Hermione herself was wrapped in a pick bathrobe. Her hair was still wet, clearly indicating she had recently taken a shower.

"Hey…" Phoebe said quietly, causing Hermione to jump.

"Hi, Lilly." Hermione responded in an equally soft voice.

"What're you doing?" Phoebe asked.

"Just thinking." Hermione told her. "I never thought I'd have to see this place again. This was… the place where I lived, but it was never home. My father was… is… a very powerful demon. He could rival Lord Voldemort if he had the resources. When I was here…. I was his plaything. I could have stopped him from killing my mother… I'm responsible, I know I am. Sometimes I just wish I could forget about all this, and… start over again. I could've told someone what my father was doing, but…"

"You weren't responsible for your mother's death, Mi." Phoebe said. "You were young, scared…"

"Yeah," Hermione said. "I was…. but I'm not anymore. I can't change the fact that my mother died because I wouldn't stand up to that bastard, the same way I can't change the fact that I'll never have a chance to free Danielle from the clutches of evil… nevertheless, my father doesn't scare me anymore. He did things to me that were unspeakable, _unthinkable_, but… but that's in the past. I'm free of him… and if he ever returns, I swear I'll kill him."

"You'd never do that, Mi." Phoebe said. "That's not who you are."

"There are things you don't know about me, Lilly." Hermione warned, her hazel eyes darkening. "Don't _ever _assume you know how far I'll go."

"Come on, Mi…" Phoebe whined. "Let's not think about this right now."

"What am I supposed to think about, Lilly?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, I don't know." Phoebe said. "Maybe some of the good things in your life… me, for instance."

"Lilly, I… last night… was wonderful, and when this is over…"

"I'm not waiting, Mi." Phoebe interrupted. "I'm not waiting anymore. I've done enough waiting, Mi. So don't give me the "when this is over" speech, because I've heard it too many times in the past. I… love you, I showed you _that _last night."

"Well, you did do that." Hermione admitted. "Fine, but for the moment, you're going to _have _to do a bit more waiting. We've got a lot of work to do."


	10. The Things We Do For Those We Love

__

Head under water  
And they tell me to breathe easy for a while  
The breathing gets harder, even I know that  
Made room for me but it's too soon to see  
If I'm happy in your hands  
I'm unusually hard to hold on to

Blank stares at blank pages  
No easy way to say this  
You mean well, but you make this hard on me

I'm not gonna write you a love song  
'Cause you asked for it  
'Cause you need one, you see  
I'm not gonna write you a love song  
'Cause you tell me it's  
Make or breaking this  
If you're on your way  
I'm not gonna write you to stay  
If all you have is leaving I'm gonna need a better  
Reason to write you a love song today

I learned the hard way  
That they all say things you want to hear  
And my heavy heart sinks deep down under you and  
Your twisted words,  
Your help just hurts  
You are not what I thought you were  
Hello to high and dry

Convinced me to please you  
Made me think that I need this too  
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am

I'm not gonna write you a love song  
'Cause you asked for it  
'Cause you need one, you see  
I'm not gonna write you a love song  
'Cause you tell me it's  
Make or breaking this  
If you're on your way  
I'm not gonna write you to stay  
If all you have is leaving I'm gonna need a better  
Reason to write you a love song today

Promise me that you'll leave the light on  
To help me see with daylight, my guide, gone  
'Cause I believe there's a way you can love me  
Because I say  
I won't write you a love song  
'Cause you asked for it  
'Cause you need one, you see

I'm not gonna write you a love song  
'Cause you tell me it's make or breaking this

Is that why you wanted a love song  
'Cause you asked for it  
'Cause you need one, you see  
I'm not gonna write you a love song  
'Cause you tell me it's make or breaking this  
If you're on your way  
I'm not gonna write you to stay  
If your heart is nowhere in it  
I don't want it for a minute  
Babe, I'll walk the seven seas when I believe that  
There's a reason to  
Write you a love song today

--Sara Bareilles, "_Love Song_"

**Chapter 10**

**The Things We Do For Those We Love**

"I've gone over it six times, Lilly. I don't like it, but… it's the only plan we've got." It was midnight and Hermione and Phoebe were in the large kitchen, pouring over the information they had attained back in the Alley.

"If you're worried about putting _me _in more danger…" Phoebe began.

"Of course I'm worried, Lilly. Neither of us are assassins, even though that's our mission. Sometimes I have to wonder why Dumbledore sent _me _on this quest."

"I guess he thought you were the best person for the job." Phoebe said.

"Maybe…" Hermione said vaguely. "Okay, Antonin Dolohov is our first target. Now, he's…"

"Dolohov…" Phoebe mused. "Isn't he the one that almost killed you in the Department of Mysteries a few years ago?"

"Yes…" Hermione said, eying Phoebe suspiciously. "he was. In fact, having researched the spell he used, he most certainly _would _have killed me if I had not already used a Silencing Charm on him. It's just… I don't remember ever telling you about any of this."

"Oh, I… I, uh… Harry told me about it." Hermione studied Phoebe's face curiously.

"Well, I don't believe that for a second, and I don't suppose you'll actually tell me the truth, now will you?" Phoebe sighed deeply.

"It's not that I don't want to tell you, I… I just _can't_."

"Why not?" Hermione demanded.

"I can't tell you that, either. I just need you to trust me, Mi. Please…"

"I do trust you, Lilly… if I didn't, you'd be dead already." Phoebe laughed, but quickly stopped at the look on Hermione's face.

"You _were _joking, weren't you?" she asked. Hermione shook her head.

"No, Lilly, I wasn't joking. You know entirely too much about what I'm doing here. If I thought for one second that you were untrustworthy I would kill you where you stand."

"And here I was thinking you loved me." Phoebe said quietly. Hermione smirked.

"I do love you, Lilly… but then I love a lot of people. Even so, that hasn't stopped me from doing terrible things, very terrible things…. Things that I would do again without batting an eyelash. This war has to end, Lilly. It's gone on far too long, claimed far too many lives… I'll do whatever I have to do to stop Voldemort." Hermione reached out and grasped Phoebe's forearm to ensure she had Phoebe's complete attention. "The war _has _to end, _Phoebe_. Do you understand me?"

To say that Phoebe wasn't scared of her friend would be a lie. At this moment, Hermione scared Phoebe perhaps even more than all the demons and dark wizards she had ever faced. She had always known Hermione had a temper, and that she could be as ruthless as the worst of demons, but she had always remained a kind, likeable person. Now, though, knowing the power Hermione held inside of her, knowing the pain and torment she had suffered in her life, Phoebe realized she did understand… and at long last she understood why Catherine had sent her here. Hermione, both in this time, and in Phoebe's own time, did not care whether she lived or died. After everything that had happened to her, after everything she had been through, life held little meaning for her. Phoebe knew without a doubt that Hermione loved her family and friends with all her heart, but she would willingly leave her children without their mother, her husband without his wife, and Phoebe… without the one person who was more important to her than life itself… if it meant ending the war. Phoebe realized that Hermione was willing to give up her own life if it meant stopping Dumbledore… and Phoebe also understood why Hermione had taken the risk of using Aurora's powers to save her life. In Hermione's mind, saving Phoebe would have been worth the ultimate sacrifice. Taking a deep, cleansing breath, Phoebe uttered one simple word.

"Yes."

It happened immediately. Phoebe felt her body fly backwards as the world around her dissolved. Without warning, she slammed hard onto the floor. Phoebe looked up blearily and realized she had come back home. She lay on the floor in the Great Hall of Magic School and people were rushing toward her. The moment she felt Catherine's hands helping her to sit up, she lost consciousness. It was only then that she realized that Hermione had not called her Lilly the last time she had spoken her name.

..0..0..0..0..0..0..0..0..0..0..0..

"How's she doing?"

"She'll be fine. Being forcibly ejected from a memory is… stressful, but she'll be alright."

"And explain to me again what this was about."

"I already told you, Harry. There were some things that she needed to understand, some things she needed to see. Once she learned everything she needed to, she was brought back here." Phoebe heard the conversation, but didn't really understand any of it.

"Kat…" Phoebe's mouth formed Catherine's name with Phoebe really meaning to call out for her.

"Hey, sweetie." Catherine said, standing up from the seats across the room where she and Harry had been talking. Catherine walked across the Great Hall to where Phoebe lay on a couch, Harry at her heels.

"What happened?" Phoebe asked, gazing up at Catherine through sleepy eyes.

"You learned what I wanted you to learn, Pheebs. Because of that, you were sent back here."

"Oh…" Phoebe muttered in a tone that suggested this happened everyday. "Well, what's been happening here? I was gone for half a year… a lot must have happened."

"Sweetheart, you were only gone two days." Catherine said quietly.

"But, how…?"

"Time moved much faster in the memory you were in. To you, you lived out over six months in there. For us, barely two days have passed, so you haven't missed much… except for the fact that we're currently planning a major assault on Hogwarts." Despite the bruises from her fall earlier, Phoebe instantly sat up in bed.

"Attack Hogwarts?" she asked in a disbelieving voice. "Are you insane?"

"Probably. Nevertheless, Dumbledore's hold up in that school, and we've got to root him out."

"We've got to do something, Phoebe." Harry told her. "The Power of Three is dead, and while I know Hermione would help us if she could, she can't. So, it falls to us. Kat's come up with a good plan, but… it'll cost us. Draco and I ran the estimated causality numbers. We figure we'll lose at least a thousand people before we'll breach those walls. Not to mention, that bastard managed to get his hands on Hermione's shield potion."

"How do you intend to get around that?" Phoebe asked Catherine.

"Well, that's going to be the hard part. I helped make that potion, so I know its flaws, but… it's still going to be tough. My plan is to reconstruct one of Grindelwald's old Dark Energy Towers from the Second War. I _think _that if we collect and unleash a significant blast of dark power, the shield will overload and collapse." The sound of a pair of approaching high heeled shoes interrupted their conversation.

"Harry," Miley said, smiling pleasantly down at Phoebe. "we're having some problems with the power conduits for that damn tower. You think you could help us?"

"Sure." he said, then to Phoebe he said. "Rest up, you're going to need it." He nodded to Catherine and followed his other daughter from the room.

"Kat?" Phoebe said, once Harry and Miley were gone.

"Hmm…?" Catherine said, jumping slightly as Phoebe jarred her from what had apparently been very deep thought.

"I've got some questions."

"Okay," said Catherine, taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch from Phoebe. "What about?"

"About Hermione and her mission in that memory. I want to know some things… I want to understand some things."

"Alright," Catherine said. "shoot."

"Okay, firstly… how did she do everything she did alone?"

"Well, everything that you saw pretty much went the same way it did when you weren't there. She was just alone, and a little more frightened. She's strong, Phoebe… she handled it well."

"So, I was meant to learn that Hermione was willing to die to end the war?" Phoebe inquired.

"Not was, _is_." Catherine answered. "She would still do it today if she needed to. Before, though, back when you were with her in the memory, I think she _wanted _to die."

"_What?!_" Phoebe exclaimed.

"Well, think about it." Catherine said. "Think about everything she'd been through, think about the world she lived in… what did she have to live for? A father that had raped her and abused her, a shattered family, a very bloody war, and a devastated world… I wouldn't want to live in that. Even so, she did what she had to do, and she survived. In my opinion, she's carried that with her all these years. Even though she has gained reasons to keep living, Harry, her children, her job at Magic School… you… she's still willing to sacrifice herself if it meant protecting her family." Phoebe nodded solemnly, then posed her next question.

"How many Death Eaters did she kill before she was caught?"

"Four." Catherine answered. "She was quite successful until Voldemort caught up with her when she went after Lucius Malfoy. The Dark Lord had obviously noticed his elite members in his inner circle were being killed. He sat a trap to catch her… and it worked." Catherine snapped her fingers and the world around them changed. They now stood in a dark, cold prison chamber deep in the dark forest. A pair of Death Eaters roughly shoved Hermione's battered form into the cell and sealed the door.

"They brought her here." Catherine said sadly. "I could show you the things that they did to her, but you wouldn't like it. I didn't sleep for a week after I first witnessed it. How she survived the horrors these people inflicted upon her, I'll never…" Catherine broke off, noticing Phoebe was no longer listening to her. Instead, she was staring at Hermione with tears streaming down her face.

"Send me back." Phoebe said furiously. "Send me back, Kat."

"What?"

"This is a memory, right? Just further along than where I left. I want you to send me back to her. You did it before, so do it again. I can't leave her like this, Kat… I can't."

"Phoebe, listen to me. If I let you talk to her, the Death Eaters will be able to see you too. You _know _what they'll do to you, Phoebe."

"If they come back, you can pull me out, right? So, please… just do this for me."

"Fine, but Phoebe… you have to understand. Nothing you do here is going to change what she went through here. Nothing you say to Hermione here will change anything, because she's not really here. Hermione's safe on Atlantis. I know that you'd love to change all the terrible things Hermione went through… I would too, but we can't. Now, if you still want to talk to her, that's fine… but I can't stay. If any Death Eaters show up, just yell my name. I'll pull you out." Phoebe smiled slightly and nodded.

"Thanks, Kat." Catherine nodded.

"Just make it fast, Phoebe."

"Wait, there's one more thing…"

"_What_, Phoebe?" Catherine said exasperatedly.

"Right before I was pulled out of the memory, Hermione said she'd done terrible things in the past… very terrible things. What did she do?" Catherine sighed deeply.

"In the summer between Hermione's sixth and seventh year at Hogwarts, Voldemort began hunting down and killing anyone who had any knowledge of Harry's movements, or in fact, anyone who even knew that he was a wizard. Dumbledore ordered that everyone who was a potential target be brought to Hogwarts. Harry's only living relatives, the Dursley family, refused. They were asked numerous times, but still did not agree to come. Dumbledore did not have any other options. If Voldemort captured the Dursleys, there was a chance they could reveal something, anything that would hurt Harry or the Order of the Phoenix. Dumbledore ordered Hermione to kill them. She did."

"She murdered innocent people?" Phoebe asked, shocked.

"Don't let this cause you to see Hermione in a different light. I'm not saying she liked it, or that she didn't have doubts, or that she hasn't hated herself for it every single day since. At the time, she trusted Dumbledore completely. She would have done anything he asked her to. That's why his betrayal destroyed her. If _Dumbledore_ could turn, anyone else could as well. She followed the headmaster's orders… she didn't ask questions." Catherine checked her watch.

"I've got to get back. The moment I'm gone, she'll be able to see you. _Don't _take too long." Catherine snapped her fingers and vanished. Phoebe knelt down beside Hermione.

"Hey, sweetie…" Phoebe whispered, gathering Hermione's limp form in her arms.

"Lilly?" Hermione said bemusedly. She was clearly exhausted.

"Yeah, honey, it's me." Phoebe told her, gently stroking Hermione's cheek with her forefinger.

"You…. You shouldn't be here." Hermione moaned, her eyes fluttering with the effort to stay conscious.

"I had to come, Mi… I had to."

"You… need to… need to leave. He's here… he's… he'll kill you."

"Who? Voldemort?" Phoebe asked.

"_NO_!" Hermione exclaimed, grasping the front of Phoebe's shirt in her bloody hand. "Not… Voldemort. Worse… evil… I thought, but he wasn't. Dumbledore said… I never imagined… Grindelwald."

"Grindelwald's here?" Phoebe asked.

"Yes," Hermione moaned. "yes! He's here…. he's… he's…" Hermione's strength left her and she lost consciousness.

"It'll be okay, sweetheart." Phoebe whispered, giving Hermione's hand a gentle squeeze. "I promise, everything's going to be fine."

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever be ready to come back."

"I'm sorry, Kat." Phoebe said, easing herself onto a sofa in the Great Hall. "I just… couldn't leave her."

"I know, and I'm sorry… but we've got work to do. I want to begin the assault at dawn, assuming Harry gets that damn tower finished by then."

"Oh, we'll be ready." Harry said, striding into the Hall with Miley and Danielle hurrying alone behind him. "In fact, we're ready now."

****

HOGWARTS GROUNDS, THE FOLLOWING MORNING.

Phoebe stood at the edge of the dark forest, surrounded by the largest army the Order of the Phoenix had ever assembled. Over seven thousand souls readied themselves for battle. Every one of them knew that this battle could only end in one way, with the capture of Hogwarts and the death of Albus Dumbledore.

"Three times I've stood on these grounds, preparing to defend this castle." Catherine said, walking up to her alongside Harry. "Never thought I'd be fighting here on the opposite side."

"It's not the sides that keep changing," Phoebe said, her eyes locked on the Astronomy Tower. "It's the people on them."

"None of that matters," Harry said sternly. "this is our last shot. We either win today or it's over."

"Not necessarily," Miley put in. "we could've hidden… made Dumbledore come after us." Catherine shook her head.

"No," She gazed up at the castle with a determined expression on her face. "He didn't need to come after us. Dumbledore knew that we faced extinction, all he had to do is wait to see where we would chose to make our final stand."


	11. Hermione

__

Seems like just yesterday  
You were a part of me  
I used to stand so tall  
I used to be so strong  
Your arms around me tight  
Everything it felt so right  
Unbreakable like nothing could go wrong

Now I can't breathe  
No I can't sleep  
I'm barely hanging on

Here I am  
Once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it  
Can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up deep inside  
But you won't get to see those tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes

I told you everything  
Opened up and let you in  
You made me feel alright for once in my life  
Now all that's left of me  
Is what I pretend to be  
So together but so broken up inside

Cause I can't breathe  
No, I can't sleep  
I'm barely hanging on

Here I am  
Once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it  
Can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up deep inside  
But you won't get to see those tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes

Swallow me then spit me out  
For hating you, I blame myself  
Just seeing you it kills me now  
Now I don't cry  
On the outside... anymore!!

Here I am  
Once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it  
Can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up deep inside  
But you won't get to see those tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes

Here I am  
Once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it  
Can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up deep inside  
But you won't get to see those tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes

****

--Kelly Clarkson, "_Behind These Hazel Eyes"_

Chapter 11

Hermione

In the years to come after the conflict at Hogwarts, the battle would become known as the bloodiest battle of the war. The battle spread across the grounds quickly and without remorse. Even though the Order was putting up an incredible fight, it was clear that they were losing. They were outnumbered by at least six to one, not to mention their foes had the resources of Hogwarts and a nigh impenetrable energy shield backing them. Harry and Catherine had left before the Order had launched its alpha strike. It was the job of the Order to hold back Dumbledore's army until the Dark Energy Tower collected enough energy to fire. Regrettably… that would take time.

Night fell as the battle raged around them. Phoebe quickly became separated from everyone she knew except Miley. Phoebe and Miley fought together, protecting each other from attacks the other had not spotted. Miley was, Phoebe knew, very young and inexperienced in battle. Nevertheless, Phoebe was quite impressed by the girl's ability. She showed the resolve and courage of a person twice her age. Despite the incredible loss of friends, the stench of burning flesh, and the screams of the dying, Miley seemed to block it all out and focus on the task at hand. Without a doubt, Miley truly was her mother's daughter.

"_Bombarda_!" Miley shouted. A jet of shimmering yellow lit burst from her wand, arced over Phoebe's head by mere centimeters, and caught a Death Eater as he tried to dodge.

"Thanks." Phoebe said. Without warning, Miley screamed. Phoebe's eyes widened in fear as bloody gashes began to appear on her skin.

"_Sectumsempra_!" bellowed a Death Eater, attempting to hit Phoebe with the very same spell he had just used on Miley.

"_Reducto_!" Phoebe shouted, raising her own wand and causing the Death Eater to be blown apart. Phoebe quickly fell at Miley's side.

"Phoebe…" Miley whispered.

"Come on, Miley… not you too." Miley looked up at Phoebe, a slight smile on her face.

"She's not just gonna leave us…" Miley said.

"Who…?" Phoebe asked, squeezing Miley's hand. "Who's not going to leave us?"

"Mum…" Miley told her. "she'll come for us… I know she will."

"Then you just hang on, okay?" Phoebe told her. "I'm gonna get you to back to Magic School. You've... you're going to be fine."

"No…" Miley whispered. "no, there… there's no time for that. Just leave me here, get back in the fight."

"No!" Phoebe exclaimed, fighting back tears. "Not a chance in hell." A gently as she could, she scooped Miley into her arms and lifted her off the ground, just as a giant object passed overhead and blotted out the stars…

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Catherine tapped her nose thoughtfully as Harry attempted to activate the Tower.

"What if this doesn't work?" Danielle asked Catherine quietly.

"Then we're out of options, sweetie." Catherine answered. A loud shriek announced the tower's activation. Black clouds of Dark Energy began to collect above the tower. Then, suddenly, sparks began to erupt from the top of the tower. The ground began to tremble and the energy collectors hundreds of feet in the sky exploded with the force of a bomb. The tower sagged and crumpled to the ground.

"God damn it, I was afraid of this…" Catherine exclaimed. "The tower was too badly damaged during the Second War. I thought we could prevent an overload, but… we've got to order a retreat from Hogwarts." she said, rounding on Harry. "This was our only shot at downing that shield."

"I'll go." Harry volunteered. "You and Danielle get back to Magic School and…" A sudden flame appeared before them. A singed piece of parchment fell out of it. Harry scooped it up and quickly read the message scrawled upon it.

"It's from Magic School." Harry said. "Dumbledore's launched an attack on the school. They're being overwhelmed."

"Well, go." Catherine said. "Danielle and I can handle the retreat from Hogwarts."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked.

"Of course. If we lose Magic School, we're out of places to hide." Harry nodded and orbed out. Catherine and Danielle disappeared a moment later.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Catherine and Danielle appeared on the Hogwarts grounds. They were met with a scene of terror and destruction. The dead and dying were everywhere and the forest burned. Thick, black smoke filled the sky and the fires spread. In the background, Hogwarts shimmered beneath the glowing shield. Just as the two sisters were deciding which way to go first, a scream split the night. They turned in the direction of the scream and saw Phoebe blast a Death Eater to bits and Miley fall to the ground, they broke into a run. They were twenty feet away from them when a massive shadow passed over them. Neither of them stopped until they reached Phoebe and Miley.

"Phoebe, what happened?" Catherine demanded, gesturing toward Miley. Phoebe shook her head and pointed toward the sky. The massive object hovered above them. Water poured off of it as though it had been drenched in liquid. Beams of blue-white magical energy burst from the edges of the object, burning Death Eaters and demons where they stood. As the object moved off, a beam of moonlight struck it and Phoebe immediately recognized a single, towering spire on the northern end of the floating mass. A smile broke across her face and her heart leapt as a single thought pierce her exhausted mind: They were saved.

"You were right," Phoebe told Miley, brushing the girl's blood soaked hair out of her eyes. "she didn't leave us." Then, to Catherine and Danielle she said, "It's Atlantis!"

The flying island dropped low over Hogwarts, it's beams of deadly energy still striking down Death Eaters without hesitation. The island hovered over the castle. Brilliant red light gathered beneath Atlantis. A red beam of energy much larger than those killing the Death Eaters cracked against Hogwarts' shield. The bluish bubble popped like a balloon the moment the beam touched it. The beam lanced through the Great Hall, instantly shattering it. The island then moved off toward the lake, which was changing. The lake expanded, pushing the land around it away to create enough space for the seven mile long island to settle down into the water and still have a mile of ocean surrounding Atlantis. With a flash of lightening and a roar of thunder, Hermione appeared in their midst. She was wrapped in a flowing, white gown and her chestnut hair wafted as though caught in a light wind. Her hazel eyes blazed with a type of fury Phoebe had never seen before. She stared up at the castle for a few seconds before Catherine pulled her into a tight hug.

"Oh, thank God!" Catherine exclaimed.

"Kat?" Hermione asked, curiosity filling her voice. "What are _you _doing here?" Catherine shrugged.

"Well, you guys fucked up the future again. Thought I'd come help set things right."

"Well, that doesn't matter." Hermione said. "I don't have much time here. It won't take long for the Elders to discover what I've done…"

"Wait," said Phoebe, adjusting Miley's weight to get a better hold. While Miley was a very small girl, she was starting to take a toll on Phoebe's strength. "you don't know. Dumbledore wiped out the Elders during the attack on Atlantis six months ago. We only found out when Kat came and told us."

"It's true." Catherine said, noticing the disbelieving look on Hermione's face. "That's why I came back. I thought I could reach you on Atlantis, but there was no way." If the news that the Elders weren't going to strike her down where she stood made Hermione happy, she didn't show it. She simply walked over to where Phoebe stood, still holding cradling Miley in her arms, her clothes covered in the young brunette's blood.

"Put her down." Hermione told Phoebe. She quickly obeyed. It was obvious to Phoebe, as it was to anyone, that Miley was dying.

"Mum…" Miley whispered. Hermione made a soft shushing noise.

"It'll be okay, sweetie. You're going to be fine." Hermione placed her hand on Miley's chest. Miley took a deep, shuddering gasp and then relaxed. Her wounds healed instantaneously.

"Thanks…" Miley said weakly. "I'm so glad you're here, Mum. I've missed you…" It was a testament to Miley's strength that she didn't dissolve into tears on the spot.

"I'm sorry to break up this reunion," Phoebe said. "but we need to move. Dumbledore has to know you're here, Mi. He'll be expecting you." Hermione nodded and led the group toward the castle. Phoebe sped up to walk alongside her.

"It really _is_ good to see you again." Phoebe said. "You've no idea how much I've missed you." Hermione smiled slightly and placed her arm around Phoebe's shoulder.

"Oh, I think I do… Lilly." Phoebe stopped dead.

"How do you…"

"Know?" Hermione interrupted. "You think you can play in someone's memories and they wouldn't realize it? I know everything you did there, Phoebe… everything. That's why I came here tonight. You reminded me of what I was willing to do to end this war. So I came… I knew the Elders would kill me, but I came anyway. I just wish… I could have learned that lesson in time to save Piper and Paige. I'm sorry, Phoebe."

"Honestly, I haven't even had time to think about them. So much has happened so quickly, I…. their deaths will really click after this ends, I suppose." By now they had reached the gates of Hogwarts. The grounds around them were quiet now. Atlantis's magical beam weapons had completely routed Dumbledore's army. The survivors had taken refuge inside the school. When they arrived at the oak front doors of the castle, they met Draco and Ginny, along with a dozen other Order members and Ministry wizards.

"Mione!" Ginny exclaimed, rushing over and hugging Hermione tightly. "I can't believe you're here! Harry's going to be so happy to see you."

"Where is Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Magic School." Catherine responded. "Dumbledore launched an attack on the school earlier. Harry's helping the people we left to guard it." Hermione nodded.

"Then we must eliminate Dumbledore." Hermione said. "I will search the castle and locate him. I would ask that the rest of you remain here."

"Oh, hell no." Phoebe said sharply. "I already lost you once. It won't happen again."

"I traveled back in time to get a chance to take out that bastard." Catherine said. "If you think I'm not going to watch that son of a bitch burn, you're crazy." Hermione turned her gaze upon Miley.

"You raised me, Mum." Miley said, holding a hand to her chest with a grimace. Hermione had fully healed her, but that didn't stop some residual pain from rearing its ugly head. "What do you think I'm going to do?" Hermione rolled her eyes at her eldest daughter, causing Miley to smile.

"Very well." Hermione turned and blasted the castle's oak doors off their hinges. The half dozen Death Eaters gathered in the entrance hall shot spells toward Hermione… spells that, halfway toward their target, flipped over and shot back the other direction. They arced back across the hall and hit their casters.

"_Damn!_" Catherine exclaimed arching her eyebrows at her mother and looking impressed.

"Come." Hermione said, motioning for the others to follow her as she headed toward the entrance to the dungeons.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Pain. That was all that Harry knew. He could remember nothing except a flash of brilliant light and then… nothing. He slowly leaned up, ignoring the stabbing pains in his body and looked around. Magic School was a ruin. The entire structure had collapsed in upon itself. Then he remembered the Death Eater that had dropped the potion that had caused the bright light…. The potion that had destroyed Magic School, and killed everyone there… save Harry. How he survived, he didn't know, nor did he care. All he knew was that it was other. Magic School was gone… they had nowhere else to run. They had lost.

"Harry…" a soft voice said. Harry carefully climbed to his feet… and found himself face-to-face with Albus Dumbledore.

"It is so very good to see you again, Harry." Dumbledore said. "I wish to take this time to speak with you."

"What the hell about?" Harry demanded, looking around for his wand and realizing it was gone.

"Why, about your dear Hermione Granger, of course. You are still furious with her, are you not?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes… I am angry with her. Then again, it's your fault she's gone anyway. If it weren't for you, none of this would be happening." Dumbledore smiled.

"Perhaps you are correct… perhaps not. Nevertheless, I need you. You will complete my work where I cannot. I only hope you are strong enough…"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Hermione and her fellows descended down deep into the dungeons. None of them knew how Hermione seemed to know where she was going, and did not ask. After nearly twenty minutes of walking, they arrived in the very chamber where Hermione had found the second Atlantean Seal. Apart from them, it was empty.

"Mi, what are we…?" Phoebe began.

"Be silent." Hermione said quietly. Phoebe immediately stopped speaking. A loud crack split the silence and Dumbledore appeared before them.

"Ah," he said pleasantly. "Ms. Granger, I'm glad you've come. We have much to discuss."

"Oh, do we now?"

"Of course we do." Dumbledore said. "That is the purpose of our meeting, after all."

"Oh, is it?" Catherine asked. "And here I was thinking we showed up to vanquish your sorry ass." Dumbledore ignored her.

"Do you still fear me?" Dumbledore asked Hermione.

"No." Hermione said defiantly.

"Then why is your hand shaking?" he asked, looking down at Hermione's right hand, which was indeed, trembling. Hermione moved her left hand over to steady her right, but Phoebe beat her to it. She took Hermione's hand in her own and softly whispered in Hermione's ear.

"You're not alone, Mi." Phoebe told her. "We're all here with you… _I'm _here with you."

"Ah," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "young love. So beautiful, and yet… so tragic."

"Phoebe's feelings are of no concern to you." Hermione said, her voice full of determination. "And I am most certainly not afraid of you. You, however, would do well to be _very _afraid of me." The headmaster chuckled.

"Please, relax. I have no intention to harm you. Please, all of you, settle down. It is time I told you everything."


	12. The Things We Hold Dear

__

I'm staring out into the night,  
Trying to hide the pain.  
I'm going to the place where love  
And feeling good don't ever cost a thing.  
And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain.

I'm going home,  
To the place where I belong,  
And where your love has always been enough for me.  
I'm not running from.  
No, I think you got me all wrong.  
I don't regret this life I chose for me.  
But these places and these faces are getting old  
So I'm going home.  
Well I'm going home.

The miles are getting longer, it seems,  
The closer I get to you.  
I've not always been the best man or friend for you.  
But your love, remains true.  
And I don't know why.  
You always seem to give me another try.

So I'm going home,  
To the place where I belong,

And where your love has always been enough for me.  
I'm not running from.  
No, I think you got me all wrong.  
I don't regret this life I chose for me.  
But these places and these faces are getting old.

Be careful what you wish for,  
'Cause you just might get it all.  
You just might get it all,  
And then some you don't want.  
Be careful what you wish for,  
'Cause you just might get it all.  
You just might get it all, yeah.

Oh, well I'm going home,  
To the place where I belong,  
And where your love has always been enough for me.  
I'm not running from.  
No, I think you got me all wrong.  
I don't regret this life I chose for me.  
But these places and these faces are getting old.  
I said these places and these faces are getting old.  
So I'm going home.  
I'm going home.

--Daughtry, "_Home_"

****

--

Chapter 12

The Things We Hold Dear

"What could you possibly have to tell us that we don't already know?" Hermione demanded of Dumbledore.

"Answers, my dear, answers."

"Answers to _what_?!" Hermione exclaimed.

"To why I have done all of these terrible things. You see, Ms. Granger, I knew… long before you were ever born, that you would become what you are now. A goddess… but that role… that role requires a great deal of strength and courage. You would have become a very strong young woman without my interference, of that I have no doubt. Nevertheless, I knew you not be strong enough to end what I needed you to end."

"And just what is that?" Phoebe asked.

"The end of the war, my dear."

"The war was already over!" Catherine exclaimed. "It ended eight years ago when Grindelwald was vanquished!"

"No," said Dumbledore. "I speak of the unending war between good and evil… the war that will result in the destruction of all the things we hold dear unless it is stopped. That, Ms. Granger, is why you have had to suffer like you have. I put you through things to test your strength. Your father, while still a demon, did truly love you _and _your mother. Your mother… well, she had a way about her. She turned your father away from evil… and using my powers, I sent him back to evil. I made him kill your mother… and do the things he did to you. I sent you on that mission in your seventh year to test your loyalty and resolve. I gave Grindelwald the spell that caused you terrible pain for over a decade just to see how much you could take. I was behind it all."

"You son of a bitch!" Ginny screamed. She pulled out her wand and pointed it straight at Dumbledore's heart. "You are… beyond evil."

"Ms. Weasley, I assure you… you do not want to do this."

"The hell I don't." Ginny growled. A jet of green light burst from Ginny's wand. It shot across the room toward Dumbledore, rebounded off a bright, shimmering energy field protecting the headmaster, and struck Ginny instead. Ginny dropped to the ground, clearly dead. There was an instant uproar. Death Eaters appeared in the passage outside and began to rain spells down upon them. Draco and Miley turned to fight them.

"You bastard…" Hermione whispered, not taking her eyes off Dumbledore's face and ignoring the sounds of the battle taking place in the corridor outside.

"_Why_?" Phoebe asked in a shaky voice, still gripping Hermione's hand as though her life depended on it. "Why would you do that? Hermione hasn't done… anything to you."

"No, she didn't." Dumbledore agreed. "I am sorry for what I put you through, and if there had been another way…"

"There was another way." Hermione said quietly. "You could have told me. You could have explained it. I would have understood, and all the people _you _murdered wouldn't have had to die." Dumbledore shook his head slowly.

"You had to be truly ready, and I was not prepared risk everything by simply telling you. You had to struggle, you had to suffer. I am sorry… for everything. But now, you know everything. You know why I have done these things, caused these wars, killed all these people. Even so, there is still one more challenge that lies before you. This final task will be the most difficult yet. I have done everything I can to prepare you for your role as a goddess. I hope I have done enough. You see, I can do no more. My time in this world has come to an end and I can offer no more assistance. Good luck, my dear." The old headmaster dropped a potion at his feet. Hermione had seconds to recognize the liquid within. The moment she did, she focused her power and transported everyone loyal to the Order out of Hogwarts and into the Royal Palace on Atlantis. They appeared in what Phoebe could only guess was a control room. She watched as Hermione turned toward a dark haired man sitting behind one of twelve stone consoles that filling the octagon-shaped room.

"Raise the shield," Hermione ordered. "Now!" Seconds later, Dumbledore's potion detonated. The blast consumed the school and much of the grounds. Had it not been for the island's magical shield, it too would have been caught in the explosion. Instead, the wave of fiery destruction washed over the island's shield, leaving the city completely intact. When the smoke cleared, Hogwarts was gone. The explosion had completely leveled the one thousand year old castle.

--

The control room was silent for several moments as everyone inside it stared at the ruins of Hogwarts. After what felt like an eternity, Hermione spoke.

"Lower the shield." she said quietly. She then turned her gaze upon Phoebe, Miley, Catherine, Danielle, and Draco. Draco, Phoebe noticed, was determinedly avoiding all of their gazes.

"Draco… I'm sorry." Hermione said, pulling away from Phoebe and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm so, so sorry. It shouldn't have been her… this was _my _fight, _my _war, and I…"

"It's not your fault, Mione." Draco told her with a shake of his head. "Dumbledore's the bastard who killed her. I'm just glad that son of bitch is dead." Draco released Hermione and left the room. No one tried to stop him.

"Mum," Catherine said softly. "Miley, Danielle, and I are going to Magic School. Dumbledore's forces are sure to have withdrawn by now, but I want to check it out."

"Fine," Hermione said. "but I'm coming with you."  
"No," Catherine said. "we can handle it. Besides, those who survived this attack need someone to rally around…. Someplace safe to stay. Atlantis is the last place left besides Magic School. Not to mention, I think you and Phoebe need to talk." Catherine smiled slightly and orbed out. Miley and Danielle vanished in a column of fire seconds later. Hermione watched them go, then turned to Phoebe, who had moved off into a corner of the control room and had sunk to the floor where she now sat, silently sobbing.

"Phoebe…" Hermione whispered, kneeling in from of her. "honey, talk to me."

"It's not fair…" Phoebe said, her bloodshot chocolate eyes lifting from the floor to lock with Hermione's hazel ones. Phoebe noticed that the old sparkle in Hermione's eyes was gone. "It's not right." Phoebe continued. "Everything that bastard did to you… Ginny…"

"I know," Hermione said. "I know… but he's gone, sweetie. He's gone, it's over."

"But… but what about this last challenge he said was coming. What about that?"

"If it's true, we'll deal with it when the time comes." Bright blue-white light filled the room and Harry appeared. Hermione stood up from where she knelt and smiled.

"Harry," she said smiling. "it's good to see you. I know we left things in a bad state six months ago, but…"

"Hermione," Harry said in a cold voice. "don't. Don't even _start_."

"Harry, I… I know you must be furious, and I'm sorry. But I'm back now, Dumbledore's dead… the war is over, so… so let's not do this." Harry glared at her, his eyes flashing.

"Oh, Mione…" he said. "we _are_ going to do this. Right here, right now. You don't get to show up like this and pretend like nothing happened. You've got to pay, Hermione… and I swear to you. _I _will be the one who makes you."

****


	13. Blood Red Sunset

__

It's the same old story

Boy meets girl then drifts apart

Though the plotline bores me

I know it's gonna break my heart

And you run on

And you run

And you run

I'm waiting for the heartbreak

I'm waiting for the rest of my time to come

I'm waiting for the heartache

I'm waiting for the rest of my time to come

And you run on

And you run

I'll seek whatever comes

It's such a lame thing

I guess we knew it had to end

Do we say the same thing

Like I hope that we can still be friends

And you run on

And you run

And you run

I'm waiting for the heartbreak

I'm waiting for the rest of my time to come

I'm waiting for the heartache

I'm waiting for the rest of my time to come

And you run on

And you run

I'm waiting for the heartbreak

I'm waiting for the path that lies beyond

Are we doing the right thing

We'll just have to wait and see

It's been forever

We've been together

It just wasn't meant to be

Maybe, baby, we're just lazy

Lately, everything seems hazy

Maybe, baby, we're gone crazy too

I'm waiting for the heartbreak

I'm waiting for the rest of my time to come

I'm waiting for the heartache

I'm waiting for the rest of my time to come

And you run on

And you run

I'm waiting for the heartbreak

I'll seek whatever comes

****

--Savvy and Mandy, "Waiting for the Heartbreak"

****

--

Chapter 13

Blood Red Sunset

"Harry, are you _insane_?" Phoebe demanded, hauling herself to her feet. She walked to Hermione and wrapped her arms around her from behind and rested her chin on her left shoulder.

"Not in the slightest." Harry said, turning his icy stare upon her. "I'm just done with this… all of this. And I'm done with _you_, too." he added, glaring at Hermione.

"Harry, come on…" Hermione pleaded. "Please, don't be like this. I understand that you're angry, really… I do. I would be, too… but… but the war is over…"

"No," Harry interrupted. He glared at Hermione and Phoebe, his eyes blazing with a kind of fire that sent a chill down Phoebe's spine. "it hasn't even begun yet." Then, with a loud crack, Harry was gone. Hermione let out a deep sigh and shook her head disbelievingly.

"I'm sorry…" Phoebe began uncertainly.

"No, no… it's okay." Hermione cut her off. "I just… I thought… we could talk. I never imagined he would do this."

"He'll come around, Mi." Phoebe said. "He loves you, I know he does." Hermione shrugged.

"I can't worry about that…" she told Phoebe, her eyes sweeping the control room.

"We've got a world to rebuild and I can't focus on anything else right now."

"I guess you're right." Phoebe said. "You've still got me, though… and the others." she added hastily. Hermione smiled knowingly but did not speak. A resounding crack filled the room, announcing the return of Catherine, Miley, and Danielle.

"Mum!" Catherine said at once. "We've got a problem." Catherine and the twins gently placed their baby sisters, and in Catherine's case, her younger self, onto a sofa Miley conjured.

"When don't we?" Hermione asked, smiling down at her baby daughters. "Where did they come from? I assumed they were at the manor?"

"Don't you know?" Phoebe asked. "The manor was destroyed. That's where Paige and Piper…" she broke off, holding a hand over her eyes.

"That's the least of our worries right now, Mum." Catherine said. "Magic School's gone. It must have been destroyed in the battle there. The girls were being kept in the lowest level of the school, under heavy guard. A cave in killed their protectors, but… little Hope here used her shield power to save herself and her sisters." Hermione quickly summoned one of her handmaidens to take the girls down to the nursery and take special care of them. The two women taking the girls, a tall, redhead named Giselle, and a slender brunette named Ariel, had just left when Miley held a hand to her chest and wobbled slightly on her feet, causing Phoebe to grip her by the shoulders to steady her and Hermione to gently help her eldest daughter onto the sofa.

"Whoa… that was… weird." Miley said, wincing slightly as Hermione covered Miley's hand with her own, the former was still clutching her chest.

"What happened?" Hermione asked concernedly.

"I don't know…. It was like someone poured lava through my chest."

"Side effect of that spell?" Phoebe suggested.

"I wouldn't think so." Catherine commented. "I've been hit by that spell before and nothing like that happened to me." She glanced at Hermione, who nodded.

"Sectumsempra was one of the Death Eater's favorite torture methods in Grindelwald's prisons." Hermione said quietly. Phoebe noticed a flicker of fear and pain in Hermione's eyes, and knew full well that she was remembering her time into those hellish places.

"I was forced to endure it many times when I was held there." Hermione continued, her tone growing darker. "They would let you go as long as they could, then heal you and do it again. It was one form of physical torture that they could do without any permanent damage. They did it over, and over, and over, over again. As long as a person was healed before they died, the spell could be used on them indefinitely. Even with all that, I never experienced any side effects… well, permanent ones, anyway."

"And I thought that spell hurt after just one time." Miley said quietly. "I can't imagine that kind of suffering on a regular basis, I…" she broke off, her hazel eyes shining with tears as she looked up at her mother. "Why would _anyone _want to hurt people like that?"

"Some people like to see other people suffer, sweetheart." Hermione told her, gently stroking her chestnut curls.

"So, what do we think is going on with Miley?" Danielle asked.

"Probably just an aftereffect of the spell." Catherine said. "It won't last forever."

"I might just have to ask one of you to shoot me, if it _did _last forever." Miley muttered.

--

Hermione and Phoebe lay in the shade of a beech tree by the lake that evening. The shattered remains of Hogwarts lay behind them, a crumbled and collapsed collection of rubble. The blazing red sun bathed the island of Atlantis in a bloody shadow, as though nature itself was trying to remind them of what they had lost. Neither Hermione nor Phoebe could think of anything to say to the other and let the hours pass in silence. Around nine o'clock, the sun had almost fallen completely below the horizon. Phoebe opened her mouth to speak several times, reconsidered, and closed it again. Finally, Phoebe spoke.

"Hermione…" she said quietly, tilting her head to look at her friend. Hermione, who had almost fallen asleep, opened her eyes drowsily.

"Yeah?" Hermione asked in an equally soft voice.

"Where do we go from here?" Phoebe asked, blinking back tears. She was clearly thinking of her sisters, a subject Hermione had been furiously avoiding. She hesitated a moment before answering. Truth be told, Hermione had no idea what they were going to do.

"I don't know, Pheebs." Hermione whispered, gently squeezing Phoebe's hand. "I do know that they're not coming back. Dumbledore wiped the Elders out completely. There won't be any more Whitelighters."

"I… I know.." Phoebe said, unable to stop the tears from streaming down her face. Hermione reached out and gripped her friend's hand and squeezed it in a reassuring sort of way.

"I wish… there was a way to make it better… a way to put things right, but honey, there just isn't one."

"I know, I'm not blaming you or anything." Phoebe said.

"Maybe not, but I can't help but feel partly responsible for their deaths… Ron, Luna, and Ginny as well. If it weren't for this destiny I'm supposed to have, they might still be alive."

"Mi, you can't blame yourself. Dumbledore killed them, not you. I know that… just like I know that you'd bring them back if you could. Hell, you'd rather the Elders still be around and kill you and make them Whitelighters than the way things are now. But that's not the case, Mi, that's not the case at all."

"That doesn't make me feel any better." Hermione told her.

"Do you want me to make you feel better?" Phoebe asked. Hermione smiled slightly.

"How do you intend to do that?" she asked. Phoebe smiled.

"Oh, I could think of a few ways." Then, realizing exactly how her comment sounded, she hurriedly added. "My goodness, I didn't mean… I only meant to say…"

"You don't have to hide it, you know?" Hermione said, putting an end to Phoebe's embarrassed ramblings. "How you feel about me, I mean. Yes, Phoebe, I know. I know all about it. You really should have been more careful when you were playing around in my memories if you didn't want me to find out, little missy."

"Oh, Hermione… I… I never wanted you to find out this way, I… I didn't even know if I was _ever_ going to say anything."

"Why not?" Hermione asked, resting her back against the truck of the beech tree.

"Because you and Harry… I mean, you two are… your love is _epic_. It's survived wars… hell, death couldn't keep the two of you apart. How am I supposed to compete with that… or get in the way of that?"__

"Maybe I _want _you in the way of that." Hermione told her. Phoebe's eyes widened silently. "I mean, I'll always love Harry." Hermione went on, watching the water from the lake lap softly at her toes. "He's the father of my children, but… but that doesn't mean I still want to be with him."

"Why do I get the feeling you're talking like this, only to turn around and break my heart?" Phoebe asked.

"Maybe because that's what you spend your life waiting for." Hermione said. "Look, Phoebe… I don't know what this is between us. I don't know where it came from, or why…. But if there's one thing I've learned it's that we can't ask those types of questions. Fate, destiny, or… the powers that be… whatever, work in ways we just don't understand."

"So, what are you saying, Mi?" Hermione smiled as the blood red sun slipped beneath the horizon and she and Phoebe became bathed in moonlight.

"I'm saying that another day is on the horizon, Phoebe. If you want, I'd love it if we could face it together."


	14. Reconstruction

__

Friday night beneath the stars  
In a field behind your yard  
You and I are painting pictures in the sky  
Sometimes we don't say a thing  
Just listen to the crickets sing  
Everything I need is right here by my side

And I know everything about you  
I don't wanna live without you

I'm only up when you're not down  
Don't wanna fly if you're still on the ground  
It's like no matter what I do  
Well, you drive me crazy half the time  
The other half I'm only trying  
To let you know what I feel is true  
And I'm only me when I'm with you

Just a small-town boy and girl  
Living in the crazy world  
Trying to figure out what is and isn't true  
And I don't try to hide my tears  
My secrets or my deepest fears  
Through it all nobody gets me like you do

And you know everything about me  
You say that you can't live without me

I'm only up when you're not down  
Don't wanna fly if you're still on the ground  
It's like no matter what I do  
Well, you drive me crazy half the time  
The other half I'm only trying  
To let you know what I feel is true  
And I'm only me when I'm with you

When I'm with anybody else  
It's so hard to be myself  
And only you can say

That I'm only up when you're not down  
Don't wanna fly if you're still on the ground  
It's like no matter what I do  
Well, you drive me crazy half the time  
The other half I'm only trying  
To let you know what I feel is true  
And I'm only me, who I wanna be  
Well, I'm only me when I'm with you, with you

****

--Taylor Swift, "_I'm Only Me When I'm With You_"

--

****

Chapter 14

Reconstruction

--

The sun was already shining brightly through the bedroom's windows when Phoebe awoke the following morning. Careful not to disturb Hermione or Miley, who had both been nigh inseparable since Dumbledore had been killed, Phoebe slipped out of bed, wrapped a thick bathrobe around herself, and padded out onto the balcony. Hermione's wing of the Royal Palace was the most magnificent place Phoebe had ever seen. The bedroom was at least as large as the entire downstairs portion of the Halliwell Manor, and that didn't even include the various other rooms she hadn't even seen yet.

Phoebe leaned against the solid gold railing of the balcony and took in the sight beneath her. The balcony Phoebe stood on was situated in the tallest tower of the palace, so Phoebe had a clear view of the entire island. The city of Terellia, Atlantis's only population center, took up barely of fourth of the entire landmass. The city shone brightly in the early morning sun as hundreds of people roamed the streets, going about their daily business. Phoebe's eyes drifted toward the Grand Forum, a massive, domed structure where the Atlantean High Council met. Phoebe didn't really understand the governmental system of Terellia, however she did know that the council was the ruling body of the city. They were the ones who made laws, and ensured that the laws were followed. To Phoebe, it felt as though they were really the ones in charge, and Hermione was simply a figurehead. It was a feeling Phoebe didn't like. Between the Forum and the Palace lay the Central Promenade, a sprawling metropolis containing shops, restaurants, markets… anything anyone could possibly want could be found there. On either side of the Central Promenade lay the city's residential areas. The Palace itself rested on a small island in the center of a deep lake. A number of waterfalls fell from the cliffs upon which the palace sat, pouring down into the ocean below. Six bridges led away from the palace and into the city. The bridges, Phoebe knew, could be raised or lowered if the Palace needed to be cut off from the rest of the city. The sound of cannon fire drew Phoebe's attention down to the harbor, where sailing ships of every shape and size were berthed. Tiny sloops and schooners, all the way up to massive one hundred gun ships of the line. Phoebe didn't recall Atlantis having any form of navy during her previous visit to the island. When she spotted what could only be a military base on the eastern side of the city, which was backed up by a rather large stone fortress sitting near the coastline, its black cannons pointing menacingly out to sea, it was clear that Atlantis was turning away from its peaceful past and was now preparing for war. Hermione must have been busy over the past six months if she had convinced the High Council to militarize their city. Phoebe watched as several of the smaller ships engaged in a series of targeting practices before allowing her eyes to be drawn away from the city itself, and out onto the area beyond the walls of Terellia. The land was beyond beautiful. Wide, rolling plains lay to the west. Herds of deer and other creatures could be seen sprinting across the land, or drinking from a large, sparkling lake. To the south, a thick forest sprawled. Flocks of birds would occasionally take flight from the tallest trees, soaring out over the water without a care in the world. On the eastern most end of the island, a tall, snowcapped mountain rose from the ground. Hermione had told her the previous day that the most beautiful waterfall on Earth lay somewhere up on that mountain. She had promised to take them all up to see it sometime.

"This is a beautiful place, isn't it?" Miley's voice said, causing Phoebe to start. "I'm sorry." Miley added. "Did I scare you?"

"A little bit." Phoebe admitted. Miley smiled apologetically. Miley stepped forward and leaned against the railing.

"So," she said. "what do you think?"

"About the island? It's amazing. Being here… it's like I've traveled to another world."

"If we're honest, this _is _another world." Miley said. "We're standing on an island that sank into the ocean a millennium ago. This place was untouched by anyone from the outside for over a _thousand years_. Atlantis is free of pollution, crime… everything evil. I don't think there's anyplace quite like this anywhere else on Earth. Anyway, I promised Danielle that I'd go shopping with her down at the market today." She glanced over at the bed, where Hermione still slept. She turned back to Phoebe with a rather sly smile on her lips, and added, "You two have fun." Miley turned and left the room. Electing to let Hermione sleep as long as she wished, Phoebe turned her attention back upon the just waking city beneath her. Even from over three hundred feet above the city, Phoebe could still make out Miley and Danielle as the left the palace and vanished into the thick crowds beyond the marble gates.

"You're up early." Hermione said, leaning casually against the railing and glancing out at the city. __

"I wanted to see the city at sunrise." Phoebe said shrugging.

"And?" Hermione pressed.

"It was beautiful. This island is like… it' s indescribable."

"Yes, it is." Hermione admitted, her eyes raking over the city which was still covered in a light, early morning fog. "You seem troubled…" Hermione continued, her flowing white gown billowing in a light wind that caressed the balcony.

"It's nothing…" Phoebe told her, not meeting Hermione's eyes.

"You can't lie to me, Phoebe. You never have, you know that." Phoebe rolled her eyes.

"You know, half the time you drive me completely crazy." Hermione smirked.

"And the other half?" she asked.

"You make me realize just how much I love you." Phoebe answered. "Alright, fine. I was just… worried about the Council."

"I've had words with them. They've agreed to allow you and the others to remain on the island."

"That's great Mi, but that's not what I'm worried about. It's the fact that you _had _to go to them and ask in the first place. It's like, they're the ones making the rules and they're using you as some sort of public face. I don't like it… it feels like they're trying to make you… obsolete."

"I wouldn't worry about the Council, Phoebe. They just want to protect their people."

"Now who's trying to hide something?" Phoebe asked in an amused tone.

"Look, Phoebe… I don't want to worry. The bureaucratic structure of this city is none of your concern."

"Mi, if you're worried, I'm worried. You can talk to me." Hermione glared at her and sighed.

"You remember Jarred, right? Well, he's the Supreme Chancellor of the Council. Since you left six months ago, he and the Council have begun creating a standing army and navy. Jarred wants the city to be prepared for another attack."

"And what's so wrong with that?" Phoebe asked.

"It's how he's doing it that's causing the problems. The Council has instituted a draft. They're forcing the citizens to join the militia. Jarred wants to command his own private army, and with the Council's support… he can do it, and from what I've heard from my… sources, he's willing to remove me from the picture, along with anyone loyal to me. Jarred's creating laws without first putting them before the legislative board, and even worse… he's rounding up the people who oppose him and holding them in detention."

"Who's legally supposed to be in charge here, anyway?" Phoebe inquired.

"Well, that very issue is what's causing all our problems. When Aurora was here, she ruled the city be herself, more like a king or queen, turning to the Council for support and advice. The Council was more of a… political advisement group, not the government. After Aurora's death, however, the Council had to _become _the government. There are no… documents, decrees, or anything of the sort that indicates what's supposed to happen once someone with Aurora's powers returns."

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Phoebe asked.

"No, unfortunately. I've exhausted all official channels, but that doesn't mean I haven't got a backup plan."

"You're planning a coup, aren't you?" Phoebe said, her eyes widening.

"Yes." was Hermione's answer.

"Mi, do you realize what you're proposing? This could lead to civil war!"

"I won't allow it to get that far." Hermione told her. "I would bow to their wishes before that. The simple fact is, what the Council is doing is very wrong. I intend to stop them if I can."

"Well, you know I'm with you, Mi. Whatever your decision is, whatever you intend to do, I'll be right with you."

"That's good to know, because I'm going to need your help." Phoebe's eyes widened and she looked confused.

"_My _help?" she asked. "What can _I _do?"

"I need to reconstitute the Power of Three. With Harry gone and Ginny dead, the Power of Three is shattered. We need to put it back together again. To do that, I intend to do what Piper did back when Voldemort attacked Hogwarts and I was killed. With luck, I'll be able to transfer Ginny's and Harry's Charmed powers to Kat, Miley, or Danielle."

"And how am I supposed to help with that?" Phoebe asked.

"You, Phoebe, are getting my powers."

"Yours… but I don't understand. You don't need to…"

"Phoebe, I've got enough power to be getting on with. Besides, I want the Charmed Ones to be able to operate independently from me…. Not to mention, I'd feel better if you were able to protect yourself. In the meantime, I have other plans to attend to."

"Like what?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, for starters, reconstructing the government of the magical world."

"What _do _you intend to do about that?" Phoebe asked. "The Ministry's gone, the Elders are dead, Hogwarts is a ruin… not to mention the other Ministries of Magic in countries around the world are more or less in shambles with no real organization or leadership any longer. The magical world has no ruling body."

"We need stability." Hermione said, tearing her gaze away from the Grand Forum. "We need leadership and a safe place to conduct magical affairs. That's why I'll be contacting the surviving leaders of every ministry across the globe, requesting that they move their operations to Atlantis… where they'll be safe. I'm going to attempt to convince them to create one joint ministry instead of many separate ones. I've already spoken to Arthur Weasley. The British, American, and Germany ministries are willing to support this. The rest are still iffy, but I'm hopeful."

"You actually think the leaders of two dozen countries will be able to get along?" Phoebe asked incredulously.

"With the state our world is in, I do hope so. If not, then the servants of darkness have already won. Oh, speaking of winning, I have a "meeting" with the Council. I'm sure they'll just be informing me of what new laws they're going to implement over the next few months."

"Well, I'll come with you." Phoebe offered.

"The Council wouldn't like it. Why don't you go find Miley and Danielle? I think they went down to enjoy the Central Promenade." Hermione smiled and turned to leave, calling over her shoulder as she walked away. "The war's over, Phoebe. Have some fun for once… it won't kill you. Now, hours talking with the Council… that just might do it."

--

"What do you think about this one?" Miley asked, placing a striped black and yellow hat upon her head and turning to grin at Danielle, who shook her head.

"I don't think so." she said with a giggle. "It makes you look like a giant bee landed on your head. How about this one?" The girls were in one of probably twelve dozen shops spread out across the Central Promenade. Finally settling on a hat, a fluffy baby blue one, Miley and Danielle paid for their merchandise and set out across the sprawling plaza. It was still early in the day, so the girls encountered very few people as they made their way to one of the many outdoor cafés available to them. They had just sat down and placed their orders when they spotted Phoebe hurrying toward them.

"Hey, Pheebs!" Danielle said cheerfully as Phoebe sat down. "Hermione finally kicked you out of the palace, eh?"

"She's got a meeting with the Council." Phoebe said, looking over the drink menu. "She suggested I go enjoy the city, so I figured I might as well do something with my day."

"So, that's a yes, then?" Miley and Danielle said at the same time, causing Phoebe to smile.

"Do you two know how annoying that this?" Phoebe asked, looking between the two sisters.

"We don't really think about it." Miley said, exchanging a glance with her sister. Phoebe had never had a problem with telling Miley and Danielle apart. Although the two girls were identical, even down to the clothes they wore and the way they styled their hair, their personalities were often quite different. Where Danielle was spontaneous and fun-loving, Miley was cautious and worrisome. Both, however, had always been courageous and very protective of each other, not to mention their younger sisters.

"Well, you need to start." Phoebe told them in a mock bossy voice.

"We'll try." The twins said together, laughter clearly evident in their voices.

Before long, Miley and Danielle's food was delivered. Phoebe, who had eaten in the palace before she left, did not order anything.

"Have either of you seen Catherine today?" Phoebe asked, sipping casually at her drink. Danielle shook her head, but Miley nodded.

"I saw her this morning before I met up with Danielle. She seemed really busy, though… talking with a woman in a fancy uniform."

"Maybe she's doing something for Mum." Danielle suggested, raising a piece of strange looking fish to her nose and sniffing it. Neither girl had really known what to order, as Atlantean food was unknown to them. Danielle's was supposed to be an Atlantean delicacy, but if it tasted as good as it looked, Phoebe wasn't surprised by Danielle's cautiousness.

"She might be." Phoebe admitted. "Any idea who she was talking to?"

"I'd never seen her before." Miley said. "Not that that's surprising, considering we've only been here for one day."

"Kat's probably just working on something." Danielle said. "That's all that girl ever does is work. She ought to let herself enjoy life now and again… and speaking of enjoying life, who are you and Wyatt doing?" Danielle asked Miley, who smiled.

"_We _are just fine," Miley said happily. "but you, missy, need to find yourself a man. I hear Chris is still _available_!" she said the last word in a high pitched, sing-song voice and batted her eyelashes energetically in Danielle's direction. Danielle shook her head.

"Oh, come on, Dani!" Miley exclaimed exasperatedly. "What harm would there be to just _go out _with him? He's sweet… and really handsome. And according to Wyatt, he's got a really nice…"

"_Miley_!" Phoebe shouted. "This is my nephew you're talking about. I don't want to hear about this."

"Sorry, Phoebe." Miley said.

"Sorry, Phoebe." Danielle said half a second behind Miley, causing Phoebe to snort with laughter.

"Well, we did say we'd try." Miley said uncertainly. "No one said we'd necessarily succeed." That was the first time Phoebe felt it. A wave of dread washed over her, and in some way that Phoebe couldn't understand, she knew that Hermione was very upset. How, why, she didn't know. All she knew for certain, was that Hermione needed her. Without warning, she jumped to her feet and took off in the direction of the Grand Forum, leaving Miley and Danielle to call questioningly after her.


	15. The Deepest Connection

__

I am the son and the heir  
Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar  
I'm the son and heir  
Of nothing in particular

You shut your mouth, how can you say  
I go about things the wrong way  
I am human and I need to be loved  
Just like everybody else does

I am the son and the heir  
Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar  
I'm the son and heir  
Of nothing in particular

You shut your mouth, how can you say  
I go about things the wrong way  
I am human and I need to be loved  
Just like everybody else does

There's a club, if you'd like to go  
You could meet someone who really loves you  
So you go, and you stand on your own and you leave on your own  
And you go home, and you cry and you want to die

When you say it's gonna happen "now"  
When exactly do you mean?  
See, I've already waited too long  
And all my hope is gone

Someday  
Not one in particular

****

--Love Spit Love, "_How Soon is Now?_"

--

Chapter 15

The Deepest Connection

--

Hermione stormed down the steps of the Forum, two of her handmaidens hurrying along in her furious wake. She strode across the Central Promenade, heading straight for the palace. The Council had, once again, pissed her off. She had intended to use the Grand Forum as a meeting place when the representatives from the various ministries of magic arrived. The Council, however, had denied her request. Before the Council, Hermione retained her professionalism and respectfully accepted their decision. Outside, on the other hand, it was clear to anyone looking at her, that she was furious. The crowds parted before her as she crossed the plaza and reached the palace steps. She only paused when Phoebe shouted her name. She stopped, halfway across one of the retractable, stone bridges that separated the palace from the rest of the city, and turned in time to see Phoebe stumble to a stop beside her, panting for breath.

"Phoebe, what on Earth…?" Hermione asked, quickly conjuring a chair for Phoebe. The middle Halliwell fell into the chintz armchair and looked up at Hermione through worried eyes.

"I…. I was with Miley and Danielle…" Phoebe said, still attempting to catch her breath. "I had this… this horrible feeling, like you were upset or in trouble. I… had to come find you."

"Ariel, Mercedes," Hermione said, addressing the pair of handmaidens standing behind her. "please, return to the palace. Ms. Halliwell and I will be along shortly." Both girls looked at Hermione uncertainly, did not walk away.

"Is something wrong?" Hermione asked, a barely hidden note of exasperation in her voice.

"Well, my lady…" Ariel began, looking nervous at the very thought of speaking to Hermione. "We do not wish for you to become tired on your return trip to the palace and if we are gone, you won't have anyone to summon a carriage for you… or if one cannot be commandeered, there would be no one to physically carry you." At this last statement, Hermione turned to Phoebe, a look of pure disbelief on her face. Phoebe simply shrugged and stuffed her fist in her mouth in order to stifle her giggles. Hermione turned back to Ariel and Mercedes.

"Okay, firstly… we're barely two hundred feet away from the palace doors. I'm not going to get tired walking from here to there. Secondly, if I did need a carriage, I'd be perfectly capable of finding one my own damn self. Thirdly… actually, I can't bring myself to _comment_ on that last part. So, please… go back to the palace. Phoebe and I will be just fine, I promise." Ariel and Mercedes turned and left, glancing worriedly over their shoulders as though worried Hermione would drop dead during their absence.

"Are they always like that?" Phoebe asked.

"Actually," Hermione said thoughtfully. "I don't think either of them have ever spoken to me before. So, tell me a bit more about this feeling you had earlier." Phoebe shrugged.

"That was it, really… I just knew something was… wrong." Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"That's… curious." she said, tapping her nose thoughtfully.

"Any idea what caused… whatever happened?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh, I have plenty of ideas, each of them as complex and unbelievable as the next. Truly, though, I don't know."

"Do you have a guess?" Phoebe pressed.

"Well, we _are_ connected…. magically, spiritually…"

"Sexually." Phoebe put in, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. Hermione rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile at Phoebe's bluntness.

"My point," Hermione continued. "is that we're connected. Our very lives depend on each other. That, Phoebe, is a connection unlike any I have ever heard of before. It wouldn't really surprise me if one of us began feeling when the other was sad, or scared, or angry. In fact, I would even go as far as to say that if this theory is correct we'll begin to feel _what _the other is feeling."

"You mean like… if you're sad, I'd be sad too?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, that too. But I was talking about sickness, pain, pleasure, dizziness… anything like that…."

"So you're saying that if Catherine hit you, I would feel it too?"

"Exactly." Hermione told her.

"That's creepy." Phoebe said.

"No creepier than that time when you had just gotten your empathic power and started feeling what that bartender felt for Piper. Magic's just got a sick sense of humor."

"What are we going to do about this?" Phoebe asked.

"There isn't much we _can _do." Hermione admitted. "I said it earlier… our lives, our souls, have become intertwined. This is magic at its deepest, Phoebe. Neither of us can live, if the other dies."

"Mi… you know I love you, but I'm not sure I want to be _this_ close to you."

"Well, honey, I don't think we have a choice." Hermione said quietly. "We'll just have to be careful." Phoebe nodded, then smirked.

"You know, this could actually have some _benefits, _too." she said, following Hermione as she set off for the palace.

"Do tell." Hermione said.

"Well," Phoebe said in a sultry voice. "I've always wondered exactly how I make you feel when I…"

"_Phoebe!_"

--

"Just what is it that you're proposing?"

"I'm proposing that the surviving leaders of the magical world come together and work toward a common goal." Hermione told the French Minister of Magic. It was late at night, two days later. They gathered in the throne room in the palace for the meeting, which had been transformed into a large meeting room with a long, oak table in the center.

"Under you?!" The Minister asked, not bothering to keep the accusing tone from his voice. Hermione sighed deeply and motioned to Arthur Weasley, who was half out of his seat and looked as though he was going to say something quite rude indeed.

"I will speak for the citizens of this island, nothing more. I have no desire to claim total control of the world. That's why I called this meeting. We need to rebuild what we've lost, and if we cannot agree on that point, then I suggest each of you return to your homelands and forget that Atlantis even exists. I will not put up with arguments, pointless debates, feuds… or anyone who is here for any other reason than putting our world back together. If anyone here does intend to act in any of the ways I've outlined, then for your own sake, I would advise that you leave this table now and depart this city. Simply put, the survival of this city does not require the survival of the rest of the magical community. Atlantis in a self-contained civilization that has survived on its own for centuries. We do not need any of you, you must realize that. Therefore, you must also realize that I am doing all of this for your sakes, not my own. So, please… keep the accusations to a minimum." The French Minister bowed his head and sighed.

"Very well, Aurora." he said. "I will listen." Hermione glared around at the rest of the table. The other two dozen men and women seated around nodded in agreement with the minister's words.

"Good," Hermione said, lacing her fingers together and placing them on the table. "let's get started."

--

****

ATLANTEAN ROYAL NAVY FLAGSHIP, ANS _REDOUBTABLE_

Catherine sat aboard the _Redoubtable_, a one hundred gun ship of the line. It greatly resembled the old sailing ships of the eighteenth century with three large masts towering overhead, and although Catherine couldn't see them from where she sat in the captain's quarters, she knew that below her lay three gun decks loaded with cannons and gunpowder. If her business aboard this vessel of war had not been so important, she might have been slightly unnerved by the fact that she sat atop a literal powder keg, just waiting to explode. The room's only door opened and a tall woman with raven hair and startlingly blue eyes entered the room.

"I'm sorry to disturb you again, Admiral Swain." Catherine said, bypassing all niceties and going start to business. "My mother is still concerned."

"What on Earth about?" the Admiral asked, sitting down on the other side of the small, oak table from Catherine and pouring herself a drink from an old, glass bottle.

"Want a drink?" she asked.

"No, thank you, Lola." Catherine said. "What _is _that, anyway?"

"Finest Atlantean rum." Lola said, taking a small sip. "Now, what is it that Aurora is worried about?"

"She wants to be sure that she has the navy's support."

"I happen to consider your mother a rather good friend of mine." Lola said, her blue eyes raking over Catherine's hazel ones. "I'm quite willing to back her if it means the downfall of the Council."

"She's not looking to take the Council down." Catherine said sternly. "My mother doesn't want to rule, Lola. She fully understands that the Council has governed this city for centuries, so they know what they're doing. She only wants to… get them to cooperate."

"They won't." Lola said, her quiet voice rather dark. "Look, I've seen some of the things the Council's been willing to do to get what they want. They're cruel when they want to be. _My_ fleet will stand with her, but there are others…. I command the primary Atlantean fleet, but the Council has their own private battle group. Whenever Aurora needs my ships, we will be prepared." Catherine smiled and nodded.

"Good, that's all we wanted to know." Catherine stood to leave, but Lola called her back.

"Be careful, Catherine." she said warningly. "If the Council gets wind of Aurora's full plans, if they discover what she _truly _plans to do, they'll kill all of us to keep their power." Catherine nodded, turned, and left the ship.

--

"So, how'd it go?" Phoebe asked as Hermione entered the bedroom and sank down on the foot of the bed. Phoebe, who was laying on her side reading the Book of Shadows, looked up at her over the top of her reading glasses. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"That bad, huh?"

"It could've been worse." Hermione admitted, kicking off her shoes and examining her reflection in the mirror. She considered the image for a moment before changing her flowing, white robe for a lacy, silk, white nightgown, which she knew was Phoebe's favorite, with a wave of her hand. Her hair, which she had pinned up for the meeting, came free of its bonds and her chestnut curls fell back down to her waist, looking as well groomed as though she'd spent an hour in a salon. Phoebe was instantly somewhat envious of Hermione's powers, but then felt sick with herself. Hermione's gifts had come with a very high price, one Phoebe wasn't entirely certain she could have paid. Hermione pulled on a fluffy bathrobe and sank onto the foot of the bed, a soft sigh escaping her lips.

"The ministers all agreed to listen, and… I'm hopeful."

"Really?" Phoebe said, closing the Book. "I figured you'd be in there for weeks arguing with those jackasses."

"I was surprised it went so smoothly." Hermione said, leaning back across the bed, resting her head on Phoebe's stomach. "I did have to remind them of a few things, and there was a rough patch at the start, but I think we really got somewhere today."

"Was anything settled on?" Phoebe asked, her slender fingers gently playing in Hermione's chestnut curls.

"Well, they've agreed to remain on the island for the time being, and most of them have agreed to form a single Ministry of Magic instead of many separate ones. If things keep going as they are, I…" A sharp knock on the door interrupted her.

"Come in." Hermione called. Catherine pushed open the door and strode into the room.

"Well?" Hermione asked. Catherine's eyes flickered onto Phoebe. Hermione smiled.

"It's okay, you know we can trust her." Catherine nodded.

"Yeah, I know." she said. "I just didn't know how much you wanted the others to know."

"Everything." Hermione said. "We're not holding anything back."

"Very well," Catherine said. "I just spoke with Lola again. She confirmed that you have her support."

"Lola?" Phoebe asked, confused.

"Later." Hermione said. "Did you find the spell?"

"Yes," Catherine said, waving a slip of paper in the air. "It took longer than I thought it would. It's kind of hard to find a spell that was written in an alternate timeline and one that wasn't added to the Book of Shadows. Luckily, the library at Magic School survived Dumbledore's attack, or I might never have found it."

"What spell?" Phoebe wanted to know.

"The spell you and your sisters used to transfer your powers when you faked your deaths." Catherine answered, handing the paper to Hermione, who sat up and took it.

"That spell is random, though." Phoebe pointed out. "You've got no way to tell where the powers being transferred will go."

"Yeah, we're definitely going to have to reword it." Catherine said.

"Way ahead of you both." Hermione said quickly finishing her additions to the spell with a quill neither Phoebe nor Catherine had ever seen her acquire. Clearing her throat, she read out the spell.

"_Powers of the witches rise, course unseen across the skies, go to whom _I_ know would, use the power for the most good_." Instantly, Hermione gasped as though in pain.

"Whoa… that was odd." Hermione said faintly.

"Are you okay?" Phoebe asked, taking Hermione's hand. Hermione gave her and reassuring smile and a nod before looking back up at Catherine, who was smiling down at the pair of them, looking highly amused. When she spoke, however, she was all business.

"Did it work?" she asked.

"I don't know." Hermione said. "With Aurora's powers, I can still do all the things I could when I was Charmed. Phoebe, why don't you try… to… Where'd she go?" A swirl of blue-white lights filled the room, and Phoebe appeared, holding her arms out to steady herself.

"Whoa…" Phoebe said, a broad smile appearing on her face. "Now, _that _was cool. I mean, I've orbed before, obviously, but never under my own power." Hermione smiled.

"Kat, could you go and find Miley and Danielle? They'll have some new abilities of their own, and I'd prefer that they didn't accidentally kill someone with them before we tell them what happened." Catherine nodded.

"I'll be right back." she said, then she smiled. "Harry's going to be _so _pissed when he realizes we took away his powers." With a loud crack, Catherine vanished. Hermione turned back to Phoebe, who simply smiled and vanished once again in a shower of blue-white light.


	16. Reminiscing

A/N: Sorry that this chapter's so short, and for the lack of a song. My reasoning is that I **_MAY _**not be able to get another chapter out for several weeks, so this one's a bit of a rush chapter. Honestly, though, this chapter is actually one of my favorites even though I hate short chapters… so figure that out.

****

--

Chapter 16

Reminiscing

--

The sun was setting slowly over the island of Atlantis. It had been two hours since Catherine had returned with Miley and Danielle. Both girls had been rather taken aback by suddenly becoming the newest Charmed Ones, but after a lengthy explanation from Hermione, and the fact the Phoebe quickly volunteered to take them under her wing and teach them everything she knew about their powers, they accepted… Miley, somewhat reluctantly. Hermione had left the palace not long later, making her way down to the docks. It was dark by the time she arrived, her path illuminated only by a few lanterns the dockworkers had failing to extinguish before heading home for the night. The docks lay on the very edge of the city, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the downtown area, which was why Hermione wasn't surprised to find Draco sitting at the very end of the longest pier, staring out at the ocean. Hermione quietly walked up to him and sank down onto the old, wooden pier beside him. They sat in silence for at least half an hour. Draco didn't even seem to notice Hermione was there, until he spoke without looking at her.

"It's not fair." he said, his eyes locked on the moon, glistening overhead. "I mean, we had plans, we… Why'd she have to go and…?" Draco turned to look at her, his eyes shining with tears. "She shouldn't have been there. If she hadn't been, if she wasn't so loyal to you… She'd still be alive."

"I know." Hermione said, her soft voice cracking. "You can blame me, Draco, it's okay. I've gotten pretty good at blaming myself anyway, you may as well do it too. It _is _my fault… it was my fight, and I was fully prepared to go into that castle alone. I didn't want any of you coming with me. None of you should have been there, and if I'd had my way, none of you would've been. Ginny wanted to come with me, Draco…"

"Hold on, Mione." Draco interrupted. "I know it wasn't your fault. If it wasn't for you, we'd all be dead. You came even though you thought the Elders were going to kill you. You saved us." Hermione shook her head sadly.

"Not everyone, Draco… not everyone. I watched Dumbledore murder Ron and Luna right in front of me and didn't do a damn thing about it. I stayed on Atlantis and let countless people die when I could've stopped it… not to mention Piper and Paige… and Ginny, I could've refused to let her come with me… If I'd just said no, if I'd just told all of you to let me go alone…" 

"None of us would've let you go alone. As much as I wish Ginny would have stayed behind, I… I know she never would have let you go alone. She loved you, Mione…" Hermione shook her head.

"I don't want to hear that." Hermione told him, her voice much higher pitched than normal. "She should _hate _me. I want _you _to hate me, Draco! I want _all _of you to hate me, don't you understand?!" she was shouting now. Draco could do nothing but stare as she pressed on. "The world looks at me like I'm a goddamned hero! All anyone should be doing is looking at me like I'm a murderer… worse than Voldemort, Grindelwald, Dumbledore… all of them! I need all of you to hate me, Draco…" she pleaded, gripping his forearm with more strength Draco would have imagined from her small form. "Please… hate me, despise me, loathe me… but don't sit here and tell me Ginny loved me. I got her killed. I got all of them killed. All these deaths came about because of me, and… I can't live with that."

"Hermione…"

"No!" Hermione exclaimed, clinging to the front of Draco's shirt with both hands. She eyes were bloodshot, her cheeks stained with tears. "I want you to hurt me, Draco… I _need _you to hurt me! Show me what you feel every time you think about your wife! I want you to torment me, every second of every day… I deserve to be punished for what I've done, but even that… even that won't be enough to redeem me of the things that I've done… that I've caused! Please, Draco…" Draco lifted his hand and cupped her cheek, gently wiping her eyes with his thumb.

"No one blames you, Mione, no one. None of this is your fault. You may feel like it is, but you're wrong. You need to…" Without warning, Hermione leapt to her feet.

"I… I need to go, Draco. I'll see you later." Hermione turned, still silently sniffling, and hurried away into the darkness.

--

Back at the palace, Phoebe was a wreck. Somewhere, she knew, Hermione was very upset. She had just elected to go searching for her, when the bedroom door swung open and Hermione entered. She was sobbing and she shook uncontrollably. Phoebe stopped pacing, something she'd been doing for nearly an hour, and rushed to Hermione's side. Hermione sank down to the floor, resting her back against the gold-plated door.

"Mi, what happened?" Phoebe asked, doing her best to keep the terror she felt in her heart from slipping into her voice. Hermione simply shook her head.

"Come on, Mi… talk to me." Phoebe said quietly, gently smoothing Hermione's hair.

"Draco and I were talking, and things just got…" Hermione broke off, fresh tears falling down her cheeks.

"What is it, Mi?" Once again, Hermione shook her head.

"It doesn't matter, sweetie. None of it matters now. Right now, all I want is you." Phoebe smiled just before their lips met for the briefest of instants. A wave of pain and sadness washed over Phoebe, causing her to pull away. She stared at Hermione with an expression of horror on her face.

"Phoebe…" Hermione began, but Phoebe pressed a finger to her lips.

"Tomorrow…" Phoebe whispered, clasping Hermione's hand with her own and smiling as they both dissolved into silver mist.


	17. Faith

__

I've been looking for a driver who's qualified  
So if you think that you're the one step into my ride  
I'm a fine-tuned supersonic speed machine  
With a sunroof top and a gangster lean

So if you feel me let me know, know, know  
Come on now what you waiting for, for, for  
My engine's ready to explode, explode, explode  
So start me up and watch me go, go, go, go

Got you where you wanna go if you know what I mean  
Got a ride that smoother than a limousine  
Can you handle the curves? Can you run all the lights?  
If you can baby boy then we can go all night

Cos I'm 0 to 60 in three point five  
Baby you got the keys-

Now shut up and drive  
(drive, drive, drive)

Shut up and drive  
(drive, drive, drive)

I got class like a 57 Cadillac  
Got all the drive but a whole lot of boom in the back  
You look like you can handle what's under my hood  
You keep saying that you will boy I wish you would

So if you feel me let me know, know, know  
Come on now what you waiting for, for, for  
My engine's ready to explode, explode, explode  
So start me up and watch me go, go, go, go

Got you where you wanna go if you know what I mean  
Got a ride that smoother than a limousine  
Can you handle the curves? Can you run all the lights?  
If you can baby boy then we can go all night

Cos I'm 0 to 60 in three point five  
Baby you got the keys-

Now shut up and drive  
(drive, drive, drive)

Shut up and drive  
(drive, drive, drive)

Cos you play the game, got what I got (Get it Get it)  
Don't Stop It's a sure shot  
Ain't no Ferrari huh boy I'm sorry  
I ain't even worried  
So step inside and ride  
(ride, ride, ride, ride, ride...)

So if you feel me let me know, know, know  
Come on now what you waiting for, for, for  
My engine's ready to explode, explode, explode  
So start me up and watch me go, go, go, go

Got you where you wanna go if you know what I mean  
Got a ride that smoother than a limousine  
Can you handle the curves? Can you run all the lights?  
If you can baby boy then we can go all night

Cos I'm 0 to 60 in three point five  
Baby you got the keys-

Now shut up and drive  
(drive, drive, drive)

Shut up and drive  
(drive, drive, drive)

Now shut up and drive  
(drive, drive, drive)

Shut up and drive  
(drive, drive, drive)

****

--Rihanna, "_Shut Up and Drive_"

--

****

Chapter 17

Faith

--

Catherine leaned back against the base of a tree and closed her eyes, listening to the thunderous roar of the waterfall as thousands of gallons of water poured into the large lake beneath it. Miley and Danielle, in their identical, skimpy, yellow bathing suits, playing in the warm water while Catherine sat on the bank, watching them. It was late in the afternoon, and the blazing hot sun was only just beginning to sunk beneath the horizon, making Catherine quite thankful that she had worn her floral halter top and matching shorts. The three sisters spent the day in the waterfall's shadow, just enjoying the sanctuary of nature. Miley and Danielle had just gone back into the water for one final swim before returning to the palace when Hermione sank down beside Catherine, resting her back against the tree like her daughter.

"Hey," Catherine said softly.

"Hi, sweetie." Hermione responded, her voice equally as soft.

"So, where have you and Phoebe been?" Catherine asked. "You two left last night and haven't been seen since. I was starting to get worried."

"Phoebe orbed us somewhere… I'd spoken with Draco down on the docks last night, and… and I needed to get away for a bit." Hermione looked out at Miley and Danielle, up at the thundering falls, then back at Catherine. "So, what have you three been up to?"

"Not a lot." Catherine admitted. "I figured I'd get the girls out of the palace for the day, let them experience something other than a mall for once in their lives." Hermione smiled.

"Those two _do _love their shopping." Hermione said, smiling slightly. "You take good care of those two, Kat."

"They're my sisters, Mum." Catherine said. "Where I come from, I didn't really have many other people… You, Dad, Phoebe, Piper, Paige, Hope, Elizabeth, Ron, Luna, Draco… even Miley was gone. Only Danielle, Ginny, and myself where still fighting. So, to be back here, to see most of you again, I…" Catherine turned away from Hermione, attempting to hide the fact that she was wiping her eyes from Hermione. Hermione gently cupped Catherine's cheek, turning her head back to look Catherine's hazel eyes with Hermione's matching ones.

"You've always been strong, sweetheart." Hermione said. "You've had to be, what with the life fate, or destiny… whatever, has made you live. But here, now, you're safe. We're not going to lose anyone else, Kat. That's a promise, honey… no one else is going to die." Catherine nodded silently.

"And the ones we've already lost…" Hermione continued, her sparkling eyes narrowing slightly. "I'm going to find a way to bring them back, Kat. I don't care how long it takes, or what lines I have to cross to see it happen, I'll bring every single one of them back." Catherine shook her head sadly and stood to her feet, motioning for Miley and Danielle to get ready to go back to the palace, as it was now quite dark out.

"Mum, I know you really want to believe that… and I'm glad that you want to save them, but don't make a girl a promise like that… if you know you can't keep it."

"You know me, Kat." Hermione said in serious tones. "If I make a promise, I fully intend to keep it."

"I really hope to do keep it, Mum… I'm just not sure that you can."

The four girls began the long trek back to the palace. Miley and Danielle walked slightly ahead of Hermione and Catherine, who lagged behind. Catherine had been quite silent since the conversation at the falls, and only spoke once they were back inside the city walls.

"Do you ever wish we could go back to a time when life was simple?" she asked her mother.

"When was that, exactly?" Hermione wanted to know.

"Back when all this started." Catherine said. "When it was just the three of us… me, you and Dad. I miss those days, you know… We knew who we were fighting, what we were up against. Sure, the war days were terrible and dozens lost their lives everyday, but… those were some of the happiest days of my life."

"Well, to each his own, I suppose." Hermione said. "But to answer your question, no… I would never want to go back. Too many terrible things have happened since then that I really don't want to experience again. Time travel is great and all, but…"

"That's it!" Catherine exclaimed, her eyes suddenly alight with a passion Hermione had never seen in her before. "Time travel! We can go back!"

"Go back when?" Hermione asked. "For what?"

"To stop Dumbledore!"

"Kat, sweetie, Dumbledore's dead. He doesn't need to be stopped, we've already done that."

"No, no, you don't understand. I'm talking about stopping him _before _he starts all this. If we could go back and eliminate Dumbledore before he even grows up, he'd be able to do everything he's done. In truth, the war might not ever have happened at all."

"True," Hermione agreed. "it might not have happened at all. We could go back and murder a baby in the hope of stopping a monster… or we might just end up bringing something even more terrible to power."

"I suppose you're right… I can wish, though, can't I?"

"What made you start thinking about this, anyway?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing in particular, I've just… I've just been thinking a lot about Electra…"

"God, Electra… I haven't thought about her in years." Hermione said.

"How could you not?" Catherine asked. "She was your sister, Mum."

"I know who she was, Kat. Why do you think I've pushed her out of my mind?"

"You were away when she died, I know. It was after my death at Hogwarts… a couple of years after, if I recall correctly. She came to Hogwarts after you left, looking for you. I was surprised at how much she knew about magic, even though she wasn't a witch. She helped the Order a great deal while she was around. As much as I hate to say it, I think Harry might have started to fall in love with her at one point."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Hermione said.

"He always did have a thing for the Granger girls." Catherine admitted. "You, Me, Electra… at least he finally settled on one." Hermione changed the subject.

"You said she came to Hogwarts looking for me… did she ever say why?" Catherine shook her head.

"I didn't know her for very long, but no… she didn't. She just showed up a few weeks after you left. She was injured, but she never said who did it. She claimed she couldn't remember, but after learning what kind of man your dad was, it wouldn't surprise me if it was him that did it."

"Maybe…" Hermione said thoughtfully. "but Dumbledore said _he_ caused my father to act like he did. Why would Dumbledore want to hurt Electra? It doesn't matter anyway. She's been dead for over a decade. She's not coming back, and I'd much prefer it if I didn't have to think about her."

"Yeah, sorry for bringing all this up." Catherine said.

"Don't worry about it, sweetie." Hermione said as they neared the palace. "We've got other things to worry about for now."

--

Phoebe was already in bed by the time Hermione had said goodbye to Catherine down the hall and had seen her other girls to bed. Hermione changed and slipped quietly into bed so as to not wake her. Phoebe edged closer to Hermione in her sleep, eagerly slipping her arms around her.

"I'm glad you're back." Phoebe whispered sleepily.

"Me too…" Hermione said, sighing as Phoebe nuzzled her head underneath her chin.

"So, where have you been all evening?"

"The waterfall. Kat took Miley and Danielle out there for the day."

"I still haven't been up to see that yet." Phoebe said.

"I'll take you up there tomorrow." Hermione promised. "It may be later in the day, though. I've got a meeting with the Ministry at noon… and I want you to come with me."

"Me?" Phoebe asked, now fully awake. She lifted her head, propping herself up on one elbow and stared down at Hermione, confusion etched in her face.

"Yeah, you." Hermione said with a smile. "The ministers have decided to form one Ministry in order to rebuild. Eventually, however, we're going to separate again. We'll go back to having dozens of ministries for every magical country on Earth. However, we've agreed that we need to develop closer bonds between the separate ministries. In order to do that, we've decided to form what's being called the International Magical Relations Board."

"And what exactly is it?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, it's envisioned to be more or less like the United Nations, only for the various ministries of magic across the globe. This time around, we hope to keep closer ties to each other."

"Okay, but I still don't understand what this has to do with me."

"Atlantis is a magical nation. It makes its own laws and is not under the regulations of any other governmental body. Therefore, we'll need a representative to sit on the board and speak for the people of this island."

"And shouldn't that be you?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, according to Arthur, the other ministers feel that I am…" she paused, apparently searching for the appropriate word. "intimidating." Phoebe chuckled.

"Well, Mi… with the powers that you've got, I can't blame them for finding you intimidating. Hell, you even scare _me _sometimes. Ginny hit the nail on the head when it comes to you. It was a long time ago now, but right after we found out Draco was impersonating Harry she said 'pregnant witch, short fuse… bad combination, _very _bad combination.' You may not be pregnant anymore, but still…"

"Well, there are certain aspects of my personality that I have some difficulty controlling…"

"Just don't let people get to you." Phoebe advised. "You _do _have a bit of a temper."

"_Anyway_," Hermione went on. "I've decided not to sit in on the meetings of the board, but instead elect someone to go in my stead."

"Me." Phoebe said.

"Exactly." Hermione said. "And before you say it, Kat's got other things to do, Miley and Danielle are far too young, and Draco's not exactly the most diplomatic person around. I need you, Phoebe…" Phoebe smiled.

"Do you now?" she asked.

"Not like that." Hermione said in exasperated tones. "Although… never mind. Look, I know that I can trust you. I know that you care about the future of the magical world… and I also know that you will stand up for the people of this city in ways that I cannot. Now, don't forget, you're still speaking for me. So don't go promising things to the ministers until you speak with me first. They've been pushing to get Atlantean military and financial backing for a while now."

"They want _what_?" Phoebe asked.

"Since Atlantis has its own army and navy now, the ministers feel that I should be able to provide protection to every magical nation. We simply don't have the ability to do that, but they just don't seem to understand that. Secondly, considering that Atlantis is rich in resources and has a vast treasury, they think we ought to be funding the reconstruction efforts to the various ministries."

"They just want everything, don't they?" Phoebe said.

"Indeed. I've already told them that Atlantis is offering a safe location to meet and rebuild, but that we will not protect, nor fund anything outside Atlantean borders."

"What about the English ministry?" Phoebe asked. "How does Arthur feel about this?"

"He understands." Hermione said. "In fact, _he _suggested Atlantis remain strictly neutral on this matter." Both women fell silent after that, leaving Phoebe deep in thought, and Hermione teetering on the verge of falling asleep.

"Mi?" Phoebe said after nearly half an hour.

"Hmm?"

"Are you sure I'm the right person for this?"

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't have asked you." Hermione responded.

"Yeah, but…"

"Phoebe, since I've become a goddess, I've become accustomed to people not questioning my decisions…. Particularly at four-thirty in the morning… Not to be mean, Phoebe, but I need you to make a decision, to do as I've asked or not. I will not be angry if you should choose not, but I do fully believe that you are completely capable of doing this."

"I just don't like the idea of speaking for hundreds of thousands of people, Mi."

"I have faith in you, Phoebe." Hermione told her. "Now, we will speak no more on this. The decision is yours alone and no one else can make it for you." Phoebe sighed.

"You've changed, Mi." she said thoughtfully.

"How so?" Hermione asked.

"Well, when we first met you were… different. It seemed as though… the whole world was collapsing around you and it didn't really bother you that much. Now, though, it's like the bad stuff is all you think about. You never just enjoy life anymore. Remember back before the war ended the first time? Before we vanquished Voldemort? Sure, there was a war on and people were dying every day, but… you seemed happier. When we were all together at the manor, sometimes it felt like… everything was okay, even if I knew it wasn't."

"It was a different time, Phoebe." Hermione said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "Things change."

"Sometimes I wish we could go back." Phoebe said. "Back to a time before all this Atlantis stuff. I mean, this place is beautiful and I love living here, but…"

"But it's brought nothing but pain and misery to all of us." Hermione finished Phoebe's sentence for her.

"Well… yeah." Phoebe said.

"I wonder what would happen if we _did_ go back." Hermione said, more to herself than to Phoebe.

"You're not seriously considering it, are you?" Phoebe asked.

"No, it's just… something Kat said earlier. I promised her that I would find a way to set things right and I'm going to… somehow."

"What are you talking about?" Phoebe asked.

"Kat suggested we go back and stop Dumbledore before he can do all this. I told her no… that it was far too dangerous. The thing is… maybe she's right. Obviously, we'd be risking everything… but maybe it'd be worth it."

"Maybe it would." Phoebe said softly. "But we're not assassins, Mi… and you aren't a murderer."

"I believe I've done quite a lot of killing in my life, wouldn't you agree… Lilly?"

"That was a long time ago, Mi… not to mention that they were very evil people you were sent to kill. Now, I know Dumbledore wasn't necessarily good, but I still don't think he was evil."

"You don't?"

"No, not if he was telling the truth anyway. He did terrible things, sure, but he did them with the best of intentions. He wanted to help you. Yes, he went about it all the wrong way and in doing so brought about the deaths of millions, but still… he was still trying to help you."

"Yeah," Hermione said quietly. "I know he was. I still hate what he did, but I can't hate _him_. He destroyed my family, but if it wasn't for what he did to my father, Miley and Danielle wouldn't exist." Phoebe could think of nothing to say in response, and silence fell between them. Before long, the two girls had drifted off to sleep.


	18. Coup D’état

_I got a pocket,_

_Got a pocket full of sunshine_

_I got a love and I know that its all mine_

_Oh, oh_

_Do what you want, __But your never gonna break me,_

_Sticks and stone are never gonna shake me_

_Oh, oh_

_Take me away (take me away)_

_A secret place (a secret place)_

_A sweet escape (a sweet escape)_

_Take me away (take me away)_

_Take me away (take me away)_

_To better days (to better days)_

_Take me away (take me away)_

_A hiding place (a hiding place)_

_I got a pocket,_

_Got a pocket full of sunshine_

_I got a love and I know that its all mine_

_Oh, (got a pocket, got a pocket, got a pocket full of sunshine) _

_oh (and I know that it's all mine)_

_Do what you want, But you never gonna break me,_

_Sticks and stone are never gonna shake me_

_Oh, (never gonna shake me) _

_oh (never gonna shake me)_

_I got pocket,_

_Got a pocket full of sunshine_

_I got a love and i know that its all mine_

_Oh, (I know) oh (I know that it's all mine)_

_Wish that you could, But you ain't gonna own me_

_Do anything you can to control me_

_Oh, (you can't control me) oh no (you can't control me)_

_Take me away (take me away)_

_A secret place (a secret place)_

_A sweet escape (a sweet escape)_

_Take me away (take me away)_

_Take me away (take me away)_

_To better days (to better days)_

_Take me away (take me away)_

_A hiding place (a hiding place)_

_There's a place that I go_

_That nobody knows_

_Where the rivers flow_

_And I call it home_

_And there's no more lies_

_And the darkness is light_

_And nobody cries_

_There's only butterflies_

_Take me away (take me away)_

_A secret place (a secret place)_

_A sweet escape (a sweet escape)_

_Take me away (take me away)_

_Take me away (take me away)_

_To better days (to better days)_

_Take me away (take me away)_

_A hiding place (a hiding place)_

_I got a pocket,_

_Got a pocket full of sunshine_

_I got a love and I know that its all mine_

_The sun is on my side_

_It takes me for a ride_

_I smile up to the sky_

_I know I'll be alright_

_T__he sun is on my side_

_It takes me for a ride_

_I smile up to the sky_

_I know I'll be alright_

_--_Natasha Bedingfield, "_Pocket Full of Sunshine_"

**--**

**Chapter 18**

**Coup D'état**

**--**

Phoebe awoke even before the sun began to rise on a murky Saturday morning two weeks later. While sleep had come easily to her the previous night, her dreams had been troubled by images of war, death, and destruction. Nobody on the island was saying much, in fact most were saying nothing at all, but still… Phoebe could feel it. Something big was about to happen, she knew it. Phoebe had been attending daily meetings with the ministers of magic, and although she hated to admit it, she was starting to like it. She felt like they were truly getting somewhere, and perhaps would soon start putting their shattered world back together.

Hermione, along with Catherine, had withdrawn from the public eye. Neither of them left the palace, and spent most of their time locked up in Hermione's private chambers at the very top of the palace's tallest tower. Phoebe didn't know what the two of them were up to, and she hadn't asked. She knew that if Hermione wanted her involved, she would have told her what was going on.

As Phoebe walked toward the Ministry meeting chambers, she glanced out of one of the many windows that lined the corridor. In the seas beyond the palace, fleets of ships had begun to form. Over three dozen vessels had assembled in the shadow of the palace, their gun ports open and their cannons run out. This fleet, Phoebe knew, was under the command of Admiral Swain and was loyal to Hermione. On the far side of the island, a dozen or so ships had gathered in a small group. While tensions had risen in the past few weeks, the royalists and the separatists had not yet declared open war upon each other… something Hermione was desperately attempting to prevent. Hermione had sent her best diplomats to the Grand Forum to begin negotiations with the Council, and while there had not yet been any success, Hermione remained hopeful. It seemed to Phoebe, however, that the battle lines had been drawn, and war was inevitable.

--

Hermione stared down at the city sprawling beneath her. The Council had sealed the Forum off to anyone other than Council members and the two full legions of militia troops loyal to them. On land, Hermione knew she was horribly outnumbered. At sea, on the other hand, victory was assured.

"I hate this!" Hermione exclaimed suddenly, causing Catherine to jump.

"I do too, Mum…" Catherine said quietly. "But what can we do? Our negotiations have gone nowhere and the Council is preparing for war. If we don't do the same, we're screwed. The Council wants you out of the picture, and they'll do whatever it takes to make sure you die. I've lost my mother enough times in the past… I'd really rather not go through that again."

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry, I just… we're about to go down a path that there is no return from. If we strike first… we're the warmongers. We will be seen as people who showed up here and took over by force. No… I won't start this war. I'll fight it if I must, but I will _not _start it." Catherine nodded.

"Very well, then. Still, we need to be prepared. The Council knows you oppose them, and I wouldn't put it past them to try to assassinate you."

"Assassination's beneath them." Hermione muttered. "They'll want to show that they have the power to take control and to keep it."

"So, what do you think they'll do?" Catherine asked, closing the Book of Shadows.

"They'll make a move to take control of the palace." Hermione said thoughtfully. "It would benefit the Council greatly if they could capture my power base."

"You think they'll attack the palace?"

"Of course they will," Hermione said. "but not in the way you believe. They'll do something that makes it seem as though _we _struck first. Then they'll lay siege to the palace. To the people, it will look as though the Council retaliated against a unprovoked attack from me. They'll make me look like the bad guy… they'll turn the people against me, and if they succeed… they'll doom all of our efforts."

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Catherine asked.

"We let them." Hermione said. "If they intend to frame us, there is nothing we can do about it. Nevertheless, tell Admiral Swain to ready her fleet for battle…" Hermione turned back to the window and watched the sun begin to set over the city. When she spoke again, her tone was much darker. "and seal off the palace."

--

"Oh, hey Mi. You're up late tonight."

"I'm up late _every _night these days, Pheebs." Hermione said, closing their bedroom door and smiling at Phoebe, who was already in bed. "You see to that." Phoebe smirked in a self-satisfied way.

"Well, I do my best." Phoebe said with a smile, which quickly faded as Hermione sank onto the bed and slipped beneath the covers. "What's wrong?" Phoebe asked, her hands snaking their way around Hermione's slender form.

"The Council rejected our proposal for a mutual disarmament today. We'd hoped that if both fleets and the militia were to stand down, it would help us all make strides down the path toward peace." Hermione sighed deeply as Phoebe began to gently stroke her hair. "Phoebe, this is dividing the island. The navy and the militia have been split it two, friends are turning on friends… I don't know what to do."

"From the sound of things, the Council's not going to give you a choice." Phoebe said softly. "They're not going to stop what they're doing, nor are they just going to stand aside and let you take over."

"I don't want a civil war, Phoebe. That's what I'm trying my hardest to prevent."

"I _know _that, Mi." Phoebe told her. "I know you don't want another war… none of us do! But, sweetie… that's the only option you have. Well, apart from standing aside and letting the Council do whatever they please." Hermione sighed, climbed out of bed, and started to pace.

"Are you telling me to attack the Forum?" she asked. Phoebe shook her head.

"No, Mi." Phoebe said. "I'm telling you to prepare for war, because one's coming. Lockdown the palace if you haven't already done so, gather what allies you have and tell them to be ready. Admiral Swain's loyal to you, right? Have her prepare her fleet. Make it look like you're preparing for a fight and I guarantee you the Council will strike first."

"You want me to bait them into attacking." Hermione said.

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting." Phoebe told her. Hermione sighed deeply and walked to the balcony. Phoebe extracted herself from the blankets and joined her. Outside, the island was bathed in moonlight. The crystal dome of the Forum glistened in the darkness, and the lights from the still bustling Central Promenade sparkled.

"I hate this…" Hermione muttered, shaking her head. Phoebe gently stroked Hermione's cheek with the back of her hand. "But I _love _you." she added, turning away from the city to face Phoebe, who simply smiled. "You're right," Hermione went on, turning her back on the balcony and returning to the bedroom. "what you said… it's the only way." Hermione closed her eyes as though hating what she was about to do.

"Kat…" she said. Instantly, Catherine orbed to her side.

"What is it…?" Catherine asked.

"Tell Admiral Swain… to prepare for a battle. Then get down to the Control Room and gather together the militiamen still loyal to us and assemble them outside the palace gates." Hermione looked up at Phoebe, who nodded encouragingly. "When the sun rises tomorrow morning… we're at war."

--

Hermione stood atop the sweeping palace steps, watching the crowd that had assembled beneath her. Hundreds of Atlanteans had come forward in the night to pledge her assistance in the coming conflict. While much of the city's armed forces had sided with the Council, nearly the entire civilian population had not. Catherine estimated that the Council's troops would now be outnumbered at least three to one, albeit by a force that was not even remotely trained in combat.

Phoebe walked out of the palace doors and stood beside her.

"Miley and Danielle are up in the Control Room." she said, clasping her hands behind her back. "They've spotted the Council's ships moving around the southern tip of the island, straight toward our own fleet. It won't be long now…"

"This is wrong." Hermione said, not turning to look at Phoebe. "And we both know it."

"Is protecting what you believe in wrong?" Phoebe countered.

"It is when it requires shattering one's morals. I don't believe in war, Phoebe… not unless it's absolutely necessary. I feel like I've failed in some way. There must have been _something_, anything I could've done to prevent this."

"You're not all-powerful, Mi." Phoebe reminded her. "You can't control what other people want to do. We both know that what the Council is doing is wrong, just like we knew what Voldemort, Grindelwald, and Dumbledore did was wrong. Stopping the Council is the right thing to do, and you know it."

"That doesn't make me like it." Hermione muttered. Phoebe smiled.

"I didn't reckon it would." she said.

"I'm going to go talk to them." Hermione said suddenly.

"You're… what?" Phoebe asked, nonplussed.

"Face to face." Hermione continued. "I'm going to tell them that this isn't worth the price we're about to have to pay. Maybe we can come to some sort of an agreement, at least temporarily." Hermione, at long last, turned to face Phoebe. "I'm going to need you to rally the people. If I fail, there will be war. Talk to them… comfort them, but Phoebe… don't lie to them." Without another word, Hermione walked down the steps and vanished into the crowd. Phoebe swallowed deeply and Miley and Danielle emerged from the palace.

"Where'd she go?" Danielle asked.

"She's gone to talk with the Council." Phoebe answered. "She asked me to speak with the people here incase she fails to come to an agreement with them."

"Well, do it then." Miley told her. "If anyone can do something like this, it's you." Phoebe nodded and stepped forward. She motioned for everyone's attention. Her thoughts were upon Hermione as she opened her mouth to speak.


	19. Rallying the Troops

--

**Chapter 19**

**Rallying the Troops**

**--**

Phoebe stood atop the steps of the Royal Palace, her eyes studying the faces of those standing in the crowd below her. Friends, family, people she didn't even know… all of them prepared to stand, fight, and die side by side against the forces of the Council.

"I've been fighting alongside some of you for a very long time." Phoebe began, doing her best to keep her voice from shaking. "In that time, we've been through a lot together, but… someway, somehow… we've always managed to survive. This time, though… I'd be lying if I said I knew we were all going to make it through this. Still, there is _one _thing that I _do_ know. We're going to stop the Council. We have a duty to ourselves, a duty to the rest of the magical world to protect them from harm. What we're about to do isn't going to be easy. The Council isn't going to just let us walk into the Forum and take over without a fight. They're going to try to stop us every step of the way. They're going to make us fight for every inch… and they're going to try to kill every one of us before we even get close to the Forum. But remember, even when things get bad and it looks like all is lost, we still can rely on each other."

--

Jarred stood before a large crowd of Atlanteans loyal to the Council on the steps of the Grand Forum. He studied each of their faces, knowing that he may not see many of them again.

"My fellows," Jarred began. "for many centuries the Council has ruled and protected this island. For ages untold, our ancestors fought to keep our home safe from those who would harm us. Now, we stand on the brink of oblivion. Those who would seek to destroy all that we have battled for clamor at the gates. I ask you, not as your ruler, but as a fellow man, to fight!"

--

"Over the years we've lived and died together." Phoebe continued. "We've shared our homes and our lives with each other. We've shed both tears and blood together…"

--

"But I do not want you to remember what we have done." Jarred said. "I want you all to remember _why _we have done it."

--

"We're fighting for something more than just ourselves." Phoebe pointed out.

--

"For something more than ourselves and what victory can bring to us."

--

"Something that calls out to us…"

--

"Something that tells us to press on, to fight on…"

--

"Something that speaks to all of our hearts…"

--

"Something that pushes us forward, assuring us of victory…"

--

"Today, on the eve of this terrible battle, I want each and every one of you to remember what we're fighting for!"

--

"Today," Jarred exclaimed. "I want all of you to remember what every single one of us is fighting for! Ladies and Gentlemen… today, we fight for our sovereignty!"

--

Phoebe walked down the ivory steps and stood amongst the crowd. She decided to close her speech, standing not above the crowd, but instead at their side.

"Today," she said softly, her eyes flickering over the Forum. "we fight for peace."


	20. The Battle of the Black Lake

_Yo, ho, haul together, __hoist the colors high._

_Heave ho, thieves and beggars, never shall we die._

_The king and his men stole the queen from her bed __and bound her in her bones._

_The seas be oursand by the powerswhere we will we'll roam._

_Yo, ho, haul together, hoist the colors high._

_Heave ho, thieves and beggars, never shall we die._

_Some men have died and some are alive and others sail on the sea_

_with the keys to the cage and the Devil to pay we lay to Fiddler's Green!_

_The bell has been raised from it's watery grave. Do you hear it's sepulchral tone?_

_We are a call to all, pay head the squall and turn your sail toward home!_

_Yo, ho, haul together, hoist the Colors high… Heave ho, thieves and beggars, never shall we die. _

**--Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, "**_**Hoist the Colours"**_

--

Chapter 20

The Battle of the Black Lake

--

Phoebe leaned against the wooden railing of the _Redoubtable_. Hermione's negotiations had apparently failed, as the Council had launched an assault upon the palace, which in turn was quickly and decisively rebuffed. Hermione, however, had not yet returned from the Forum and Phoebe grew steadily more worried.

"She'll be okay." Catherine said, propping herself up against the ship's railing. "She's been in a lot of situations more dangerous than this."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Phoebe asked. Catherine smiled and shrugged.

"Not really. I just thought I'd remind you how many times in the past we thought Hermione had left us for good, only to have her come back to us. So don't worry, Pheebs, she'll be back. Besides, if she were to die, I do believe you'd be the first to know." Catherine stood up properly and clapped her hands together.

"In the meantime," she said. "we've got work to do. The Council's fleet is approaching and they've got more ships than we thought." Phoebe nodded, cast one last look at the Forum, and allowed Catherine to pull her away.

--

"You've already lost this war, Jarred. The people are against you, that's obviously why you haven't killed me yet. You know that if you end my life the people will revolt. You don't have the troops to defend this building against the entire population of this city."

"I will _not _surrender to you." Jarred said, refusing to turn and face Hermione, who folded her arms across her chest and glared at him.

"I not _asking _you to surrender. I'm not even asking you to step down and disband the Council. I just want you to change the way things are run on this island. We went to war today, something I swore to myself I would never allow. We can't keep going on like this. We've divided the people… all because of this petty dispute between the two of us. All that I ask, Jarred… is that we both stand down and talk this out. We can arrive at some sort of a solution that will suit both of us." When Jarred continued to stare out at the two fleets out on the sea without speaking, Hermione continued.

"A battle is about to take place out there. If we win, you _know _what will happen. They'll siege the Forum… they'll kill you if you let it go that far. I don't want that to happen, Jarred, I really don't."

"And what if you lose?" Jarred asked. "What do you suppose will happen then?"

"Oh, I expect you'll have me and my friends executed and the palace burned to the ground. But I do hope you know that this will never end that way. You will lose the battle on the black lake, I promise you. You know that I have the power to snuff out your life this very instant if that was my wish."

"You wouldn't do that." Jarred said sharply, though his voice wavered. Hermione simply smiled.

"No, I wouldn't." she said as the sound of thunderous cannon fire washed over them. "I would, however, end this battle before it truly begins. I invite you to witness, Jarred, the level of power you chose to oppose."

--

The _Redoubtable _rotated, presenting her broadside to the incoming ships. The other ships in the Royal fleet followed suit, their gun ports opening and their cannons emerging from their shelters. The Royal fleet, being the larger, set the battle line. The Separatist fleet, composed of smaller vessels, would have the option of setting the engagement range. Instead of maintaining a long range slugging match, the Separatists chose to sail straight in. The Royal fleet opened fire, unleashing a thunderous cannonade upon the Separatist ships. Broken and separated by the Royal navy's alpha strike, the Separatist fleet fell back to regroup. Again they approached the Royal navy's battle line. Electing to remain at a favorable distance, both fleets opened fire upon each other. By this point, the Separatist fleet was clearly loosing. It was only then that a _second _group of Separatist vessels closed in on the opposite side of the Royal navy's battle line. The Royal fleet was now trapped between two advancing fleets and the Atlantean coastline. They had nowhere to run. So, while the Separatist fleet was comprised of smallish vessels, the Royal navy was built of larger, and therefore slower, ships. They could not easily turn to engage their targets, while their enemies could easily run circles around them. It was clear that the Royal navy had been beaten… and that was when the tide turned. A Separatist corvette dubbed _Satire _was simply sucked beneath the waves, leaving nothing behind except the rippling water. Seconds later, a second ship vanished, followed by a third, then a forth. Soon, the entire Separatist fleet had been completely destroyed.

--

Phoebe watched as a Royal Navy corvette, christened _Clipper_, skittered past searching the waters for survivors, both friend and foe alike. Dozens of ships of like size performed the same task all around her.

"What the hell happened?" Admiral Swain demanded of Catherine.

"Look, I can't say for certain, but…"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Phoebe said. "Hermione helped us, saved us."

"She interfered?" Swain asked. "That is against the highest laws of her kind."

"She helped us mere mortals the last time war came to this island, why not this time. She must have seen what was happening from the Forum and lashed out against our enemies. It's the only thing that makes sense."

"Then let's get to the Forum." Catherine said. "The Council won't have any choice but to surrender now."

--

"Jarred, let us not take this foolishness any further. This war is over, my friend. There is simply no reason that we should continue this feud."

"No reason?!" Jarred exclaimed. "I have every reason! You destroyed my fleet, murdered hundreds! You'll pay for this, Aurora, I promise you."

"Of that I have no doubt. One day, I will pay for a great many things. Today, however, is not that day." At that moment, the brass doors burst open and a large group of people, led by Phoebe and Catherine, charged into the Forum.

"It's over, Jarred." Hermione said quietly, as Phoebe hurried to her side.

"Oh, no, no, no." Jarred said with a smile. "I still have one last bargaining chip." A second set of brass doors swung open, and a pair of armored men emerged, each gripping a struggling girl in his arms.

"Miley," Jarred said happily. "Danielle, so kind of you to join us." Hermione exchanged a glance with Phoebe.

"How did he find them?" Hermione asked in a voice so quiet that only Phoebe could hear.

"They were at the palace after the battle there. I don't know…"

"This has nothing to do with them, Jarred." Hermione said. "This is between the two of us. Leave them out of it."

"Stand down, now." Jarred ordered her, spinning a glimmering athame between his fingers. "Or I will kill them both."

"You don't want to do this, Jarred." Catherine warned. "I promise, you'll regret it if you kill them."

"I doubt that." Jarred said. "I hold the cards now, my dear." He turned to Hermione.

"I will only offer this for a short time. After that, I will have the eldest slaughtered before your eyes." Hermione was about to respond, perhaps to agree to Jarred's terms, perhaps to tell him to go to hell, no one would ever know for certain. A bolt of greenish light shot across the room and caught Jarred squarely in the face. The weapon in Jarred's hands arced across the room, stopping only when it made contact with Phoebe's skin. The brunette collapsed, her wand slipped from her fingers, still smoking from the deadly curse it had been used to cast mere seconds before. Phoebe fell into Hermione's arms, and they both dropped to the floor. Catherine stepped quickly over to them, her hands already hovering over the wound in Phoebe's chest. After several tense seconds, Catherine looked up at Hermione and nodded.

"She'll be fine." Catherine said, causing Hermione to nearly faint with relief. Hermione waited until Phoebe was fully healed before leaving her in Catherine's care. She stood and stepped over to Jarred's lifeless body. Phoebe's spell had, of course, killed him instantly. This was not the resolution she had envisioned, but she couldn't say it wasn't the way she expected things to end.

"I'm sorry." Phoebe said, slipping one arm around Hermione's waist and resting her head on her shoulder.

"For what? Saving my daughter's lives? Sure, I didn't want Jarred to die, but…"

"I didn't want to do it, I just… while you were gone those six months, Miley and Danielle… Miley much more than Danielle, became sort of surrogate children to me. Miley and I grew close, very close… and when Jarred threatened to kill her, I… I just acted."

"Honestly," Hermione said softly. "I'm thankful you did this. Pheebs, we both know Jarred would never have surrendered to us. I was going to be forced to kill him. For once in my life, someone else took the situation out of my hands. I wasn't… forced to make a decision." A royal soldier approached Hermione and Phoebe. He knelt and bowed his head.

"My lady," he said crisply. "The Council's forces are surrendering all over the island."

"That is wonderful, Marcus." Hermione said, causing the warrior to smile happily. It seemed that the fact that Hermione knew his name was enough to make his day. Hermione turned, smiling brightly, to Phoebe, who arched her eyebrows.

"It's over." Hermione said, her eyes narrowing as though she could hardly believe it. "It's really over."

"Yeah," Phoebe said, a hint of doubt in her voice. "it's over." Noticing this, Hermione continued.

"What's wrong?" Phoebe shook her head.

"Nothing, Mi. I just… This feels exactly like the last time we thought the war was over. I'm starting to wonder if it will ever truly end." Hermione sighed, and shrugged.

"Oh, Phoebe, I don't doubt that another threat will rise against us before too long. For now, though, let's not concern ourselves with what cannot be prevented." Phoebe said nothing. Instead, she nodded and turned to leave. Hermione looked around the now empty room, the others having already left to return to the palace.

For now, peace had returned to Atlantis. Sure, there was still much work to be done. The city would need a new form of government, a part of which Hermione knew she would have to be, despite how much she didn't want to be. Nevertheless, she would worry about those things, along with Phoebe's dire warnings, at a later time. For the moment, Hermione just wanted to be happy, and maybe, just _maybe_, she could be.


	21. Respite

**Chapter 21**

**Respite**

--

The sun had only just begun to peek over the horizon, and still, Phoebe was already awake. She had found it difficult to sleep the previous night, despite being in Hermione's presence, which would always seem to comfort her. For some reason, she just couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was coming, rising like the sun above their island. Hermione, on the other hand, didn't seem worried at all. She had fallen asleep quickly and was still sleeping soundly. Phoebe watched her chest rise and fall in a deep, rhythmic pattern for several minutes before turning to look out over the city. The Promenade was more or less abandoned, the reconstruction effort having not yet had the time to repair anything more than the damage done to the palace during the small attack staged by the Council. The damage, even city wide, was minimal. Most of the battle had taken place at sea, meaning that much of the destruction in the city was cosmetic.

Phoebe sighed deeply and leaned against the balcony railing, her eyes focusing on a small group of construction workers repairing the entrance to the Grand Forum, soon to become, according to Hermione, the home of her new government. Hermione had confessed to Phoebe that she wanted no part of the new leadership, yet she realized that she had no choice. The Atlanteans had lived under the rule of the Council for millennia. They had no idea how to govern a nation. Hermione had decided to accept the public's plea for her to take over the government of the island. Hermione had spoken with several high standing citizens, each of them agreeing to the establishment of a monarchy, with Hermione as its head. Phoebe had jokingly poked fun at Hermione by referring to her as 'Your Royal Highness', 'Your Majesty', and 'Your Esteemed Worshipfulness'. Much to Phoebe's disappointment, Hermione had flatly refused the suggestion of a monarchy. Instead, Hermione had begun developing her own form of government, more or less similar to a republic. Phoebe, while approving of Hermione's choice of giving the people a voice in the government, she wasn't sure how long Hermione could stand dealing with the bureaucrats. Hermione had shot down Phoebe's misgivings by stating that she'd fought in three separate wars in which she'd been shot, stabbed, cursed, jinxed, poisoned, raped, imprisoned, betrayed, beaten, tortured, ambushed, trampled, cut, strafed, bombed… after all that, what could be bad about a couple of strongly worded memos from political representatives?

Phoebe moved away from the balcony and sat silently on the side of the bed. Hermione didn't even stir as Phoebe moved nearer to her. Phoebe smiled as she watched the younger woman sleep. Phoebe's eyes ran up the length of Hermione's body, much of her slender form covered by the blankets. Phoebe grinned slightly when she noticed one of Hermione's favorite Atlantean flowers tucked behind the young goddess's ear. The yellow bud was entwined in her beautiful chestnut curls, and, in Phoebe's opinion, made her look all the more lovely. Phoebe's gaze shifted to Hermione's closed eyes and a terrible wave of sadness washed over her. What those hazel orbs must have seen! Phoebe couldn't even begin to imagine what horrible things she had been forced to witness in her life. Phoebe tried not to think about such things, of course, but it seemed that Hermione spent most of her time dwelling on the pain of her past. Phoebe didn't know why, and hadn't had the courage to ask. Phoebe knew Hermione cared very deeply for her, but she feared that if she pushed Hermione too far, or dug too deeply into past events that Hermione would rather not share with anyone, Hermione might simply strike her dead on the spot. Phoebe knew the power Hermione held, and that fact scared her senseless. Hermione wielded more power than anyone she had every heard of, even the very forces of nature obeyed Hermione's commands. Phoebe was closer to Hermione than anyone else, and yet Hermione still remained an enigma to her. There was still so much about Hermione that Phoebe didn't know, and probably didn't want to know. Even though Phoebe deeply wished to help Hermione overcome her pain, she knew Hermione would never let her. Hermione preferred to deal with her own problems, and Phoebe had to let her do just that.

Deciding Hermione had slept long enough, Phoebe gently tickled the end of her nose. Hermione made a light slapping motion with her hand to push her away. Phoebe repeated her assault on Hermione's nose, only to cause her to jerk awake.

"Damn it, Phoebe." Hermione exclaimed, holding a hand over her heart. "Are you _trying _to kill me?"

"Sorry, Mi." Phoebe said, faking a pout. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"God, Phoebe…" Hermione muttered. "My sister used to do that crap. It was annoying then, it's still annoying now." Hermione climbed out of bed and walked over to her closet.

"I… didn't know." Phoebe said quietly.

"Know what?" Hermione asked absentmindedly, searching for something to wear.

"That you _had _a sister. What happened to her?"

"I… she died. It happened long after I'd been spirited away from the magical world. Voldemort was once again marching on Hogwarts. Everyone was still heartbroken over Catherine's death nearly two years before, in the previous battle at Hogwarts. At the time, the Order was… broken. Defeat after defeat had shattered both morale and the Order's ranks. From what I understand, Electra… though, we all called her Alex, she… Harry and Dumbledore had prepared for one last stand in what looked to be a losing battle. Alex wasn't a witch, but she decided to stay at the school and help in any way she could. The Order was completely routed. Somehow, Harry and Alex managed to seal themselves in the Chamber of Secrets. It took Voldemort nearly a week to find them. He went down alone… I guess he wanted to be the one to kill Harry, and didn't trust his Death Eaters not to… take too long to kill Alex." Hermione broke off, breathing deeply and wiping her eyes.

"Apparently, Alex was caught in a crossfire between Voldemort and Harry. One of their spells… Alex wouldn't have known what hit her. I don't know if it's true or not, but Catherine believes Harry loved her. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me. She _was _very beautiful, not to mention fiercely loyal." Hermione smiled slightly.

"I remember one time when we were kids, she… uh… " Hermione was forced to stop and wipe her eyes again.

"Mi, you don't have to talk about this if you'd prefer not." Phoebe said, gently taking Hermione's hand. "I understand. I mean, just thinking about Piper and Paige makes me want to find a way to join them. I know I'll never see them again, and… I mean, right now I'm happier than I've ever been, but I… Those two were the only family I had left. Sure, Leo, Wyatt, and Chris are safe at Magic School now that it's been rebuilt, but even so… They aren't my sisters." Neither of them said anything for a long moment. At last, Hermione patted the back of Phoebe's hand.

"I'll find a way, Pheebs." she said, though she couldn't quite meet Phoebe's gaze. "I'll find a way to bring them back." Without another word, Hermione stood and left the room, leaving Phoebe alone with her thoughts.

--

Far from the confines of the palace, Miley and Danielle walked along the beach. The two girls had been desperate to leave the palace the moment the war ended, and now that they were free they really didn't want to go back. They planned to spend as much of the day as they could away from that place. Both young women enjoyed their afternoon walk, occasionally stopping to play in the moist sand or to let the water lick at their toes. They were surprised, however, around five in the evening, to spot Catherine, sitting by the ocean, arms wrapped around her knees, staring out to sea.

"Hey, Kat!" Danielle shouted the moment she saw her sister. Miley, on the other hand, remained silent. Something felt wrong.

"Oh, hi…" Catherine said distractedly as the twins sat down beside her.

"Kat, what's wrong?" Miley asked, noticing that Catherine had been crying.

"Nothing's wrong." Catherine said. Danielle snorted.

"Yeah, and Mum's not neurotic."

"You can talk to us, Kat." Miley said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Seriously, girls. Everything's great." Catherine told them.

"No, it's not." Miley countered. "You've been crying. C'mon, talk to us." Catherine sighed.

"Fine." she said darkly. "There… there's something I haven't told Mum, and I'm scared as to how she'll react when I tell her."

"And what haven't you told her?" Danielle asked. Catherine looked at both of them in turn and let out a long, steadying breath.

"I'm pregnant." she said softly. "I knew, even when I went back in time. I've kept it from Mum, because I knew she'd be furious if she knew how much danger I've put both myself and the baby in by coming back here. Now, though… I'm running out of time to keep all this hidden."

"Well, you need to tell her." Miley advised.

"Yeah," Danielle added. "you two have always been more like sisters than mother and daughter."

"I know," Catherine said, "but…"

"Mum lived in a period of time much more dangerous than this one when she was pregnant." Miley interrupted. "We've already stopped the Council. Who else is going to challenge Aurora? We're safe here, now."

"Maybe." Catherine said quietly.

"Now, what's that supposed to mean?" Danielle wanted to know.

"I don't know… it's just something Phoebe mentioned the other day. She wondered if the danger really has ended. She thinks there may be another threat on the horizon."

"When isn't there?" Miley put in. "Look, even is there is something else about to attack us… do you really believe it could stand against Mum?" Catherine shrugged.

"I don't like to think so, but sometimes… I have to wonder."

"Yes…?" Danielle pressed.

"Look, it's just… there's still a lot of evil in the world and Mum's not invincible."

"She's near enough." Miley said. "Listen, Kat, sweetie, would it be so bad if we didn't have to worry about some evil force trying to destroy us all the time? Admittedly, we don't get much peace around here. Why not enjoy it while it lasts?"

--

"I understand that, Phoebe, I really do. But this is not the right time for something like that."

"Why not, Mi? It's not like anything would drastically change if we did."

"I know you want to do this Phoebe, to make our lives more… normal. But still, this is a lot right now. There's too much going on to take such a big step." Phoebe sighed and shook her head.

"I'm not talking about marrying you or something like that, Mi. I would just like to move back into the manor."

"I know, sweetie." Hermione sighed. "Look, once the situation on the island returns to normal and we finally get some form of true government here, we'll look into going home. But for now, I've got to be here. I'm sorry." Phoebe sighed, but nodded.

"I understand." she said at last. "You're just trying to do what's best for the world." she smiled slightly. "Damn you for being so selfless."

Hermione was about to respond when a knock came at the door and Catherine stepped in.

"Hi." she said. "Could I talk to you?" she asked of her mother. "Alone, please?" Hermione nodded.

"Of course." she looked to Phoebe. "Would you mind…?"

"Sure." Phoebe said, standing to her feet and walking toward the door.

Once Phoebe had left, Catherine sank onto the foot of the bed and said nothing.

"You… wanted to talk?" Hermione said.

"Oh… yeah." Catherine said. "Mum, there's…. there's something that I should have told you a long time ago." Hermione shook her head.

"How did I know you were going to say that? Look, whatever it is you can tell me. I think you know that."

"Yeah, I… I know, it's just…"

"Spit it out, Kat."

"Fine, I'm pregnant."

--

"Oh, there you girls are. I was just wondering if you two wanted to… What's wrong?" Miley and Danielle both shook their head and continued to study one of the consoles in the control room where Phoebe had found the two girls.

Phoebe moved around them to look and the console herself. It seemed to be a sensor used to detect surges of power across the globe… and a serious spike of energy was wavering over San Francisco.

"What _is _that?" Phoebe asked.

"We don't know." Miley and Danielle said together.

"But whatever it is it's causing massive power fluctuations across the planet." Danielle added.

"It's clearly magical, but I can't think of any magical being capable of controlling that much power at once. It's almost as though…"

"It's more than one person." Phoebe said in a quiet, awed voice. "My god, I know what's happening." She turned to Miley. "Raise the shield, now." Miley turned and hurried over to the control panel, and seconds later a bubble of magical energy formed over the island.

"Danielle, go get your mother." Phoebe ordered, her eyes not leaving the screen displaying the steadily increasing energy source. As Danielle turned and hurried away, Miley spoke up.

"Phoebe, what's happening?" Phoebe turned to face the seventeen year old, her expression grim, and uttered one, single word.

"Utopia."


	22. Utopia

A/N: My sincerest apologies for the ridiculously long wait between chapters this time. Sadly, my old computer just died a few months ago. No warning, nothing… just dead. I would go into the long tale I've got as to how I got ran around by the insurance company, then finally getting the computer shipped out and then returned, still broken, then sent back again, and at long last returned to me in working order… but that is a very long, sad story and I'd rather not focus on such things.

Nevertheless, the old girl is finally running again, so hopefully I'll be able to get updates out quicker now.

**--**

**Chapter 22**

**Utopia**

--

"You can't possibly know that!"

"And you can't know that I'm wrong! Look, it's the only thing that makes sense, I'm…"

"Makes sense?! You're basing everything on the assumption that you've got a damn clue as to what you're talking about!"

"_I _do know what I'm talking about! Just because I may not have the proof to back it up yet…" Phoebe and Miley continued to argue, even as Danielle returned with Hermione and Catherine in tow.

"Ladies." Hermione said in a stern tone. Neither of the two women acknowledged her, and continued to shout at each other.

"Ladies! Enough!" Hermione shouted, her voice deep and magically magnified to one hundred times its normal volume. She cleared her throat as her companions turned to look at her, both of them still seething.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, looking between the two of them.

"The Avatars have gathered enough power to restart Utopia." Phoebe said at once.

"Phoebe _thinks_ that's what's happening." Miley muttered.

"And what do you think?" Hermione asked.

"I…" Miley said nervously. "I don't know. I just think going off half cocked on the assumption this is the Avatar's doing is, well… reckless."

"I agree." Hermione told her.

"Hermione!" Phoebe exclaimed.

"Phoebe, she's right." Hermione said quietly. "We don't know for sure what's going on out there, and I'm not about to risk the lives of anyone of the island until we have some idea what we're walking into."

"Thank you." Miley said, turning back to the console. As Danielle moved to join Miley, Phoebe dragged Hermione out into the corridor, where they began a furious, but silent debate.

"I thought you trusted me!" Phoebe said in a hushed, but enraged voice.

"I do," Hermione said. "but I won't send anyone outside the shield until we know what's going on."

"I'm telling you, Mi. There's only one thing that can harness that much power." Hermione folded her arms across her chest, the light breeze that always seemed to ruffle

her hair even when she was indoors intensified slightly.

"Are you willing to bet your life on that?" Hermione asked. Phoebe didn't answer.

"I didn't think so."

"Look, Hermione… I can't prove that I'm right, I just… I have to go with what I feel, and… I have this feeling."

"Pheebs, we're going to look into this and when we're absolutely sure we know what's going on, we'll act on it. Until then, we're going to have to stay here. If this is Utopia, the shield it obviously keeping out the effects of it. In the meantime though, I want everything you've got on the Avatars."

"Fine." Phoebe said. Hermione motioned to Catherine, who was watching them from afar.

"Kat, walk with me."

Catherine followed Hermione down the beautifully decorated corridor, following slightly behind and to the left of her mother, who had not spoken a word since leaving Phoebe behind with the twins.

"Erm…" Catherine prompted cautiously.

"I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that you came back here when you're pregnant, not to mention neglecting to tell me about it."

"Mum, I…"

"Kat, what we do is dangerous!" Hermione continued, cutting off her daughter. "Are you even thinking about the safety of your child?"

"Of course I'm…"

"Furthermore, that fact that you've been keeping this a secret… I don't even…"

"Mum, please…" Catherine said, tears filling her cinnamon eyes. "I'm sorry, but I didn't know what else to do. The world was falling apart, I… I had to come back."

"You could have sent someone else, anyone else…"

"In hindsight, maybe so… still, it was all I could think of. Besides, I didn't want to try and raise a child in a world like that, I… I did what I thought was right." Hermione sighed.

"I know you did, baby. I'm sorry, I just… We're in a delicate situation right now, and now one of the people I need for some of the more dangerous work I've got to keep here in the city."

"Mum, I can still help out." Catherine said. "I'm not helpless, I…"

"Oh, no." Hermione told her. "I'm not letting you out of my sight, especially not for what I need done. You see, Phoebe's got a hunch that the Avatars are behind this, and at some point I'm going to need someone to go to San Francisco and check things out. That was going to be you, now though…"

"I can still go, Mum." Catherine said.

"No, sweetheart, you can't. It's too dangerous out there for you. Miley and Danielle can handle it."

"Miley and Danielle?" Catherine repeated skeptically. "I, uh… that might not be the best idea, I mean… Come on, you know them, Mum. To them, a stressful day is when Macy's runs out of something they wanted." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"They've never been to Macy's." she muttered with a shake of her head.

"It's an example." Catherine retorted. Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"No, it's not."

"Does it matter? Look, this is big and we're going to need someone more… reliable to handle this."

"Miley and Danielle are your sisters, Kat. You don't trust them?"

"They're sixteen, Mum." Catherine told her. Hermione smiled.

"I know how old they are." Hermione responded. "And I'll have you know that Harry, Ron, and myself faced off against the best spells and enchantments Hogwarts' staff could put around the Philosopher's Stone when we were _eleven_. At twelve, I risked everything by staying in the castle to find out exactly want horror had been released upon the school. Harry and I went back in time, shattering a multitude of wizard laws concerning time travel, not to mention we almost had our souls sucked out through our mouths… and by fifteen, six of us went to the Ministry of Magic and held our own against the Death Eaters."

"Yeah, but that was _you._" Catherine said. "I'm not saying they aren't capable, I…"

"Catherine." Hermione interrupted. Catherine immediately knew that Hermione was about to have the final word, for she only used her daughter's proper name when she was becoming irritated.

"My options are very limited. I have limited resources, limited personnel, and limited time. I can't leave the island right now, Phoebe is trying to prove her Avatar theory, You're pregnant, and Draco… oh, Draco…"

"On second thought, send the twins." Catherine said hurriedly.

--

Miley and Danielle strolled quite casually along a rather busy street in downtown San Francisco, despite the fact that both girls were incredibly unnerved. It seemed that everyone was being overly polite to each other. Everyone they passed smiled widely at them and waved happily in a creepy, unnatural sort of way.

"I think I owe Phoebe an apology." Miley whispered to Danielle as they passed yet another group of overly cheery people.

"Yeah, I think you might." Danielle responded. "Still, at least we know now that it's safe to go outside. Mum was afraid anyone not initially affected by Utopia would be once they leave the island."

Miley motioned for Danielle to follow her down an abandoned alley.

"We need to get back home and fill the others in on what's going on." Miley said. Danielle nodded and with a pair of resounding cracks, the girls disappeared.

--

"Are Miley and Danielle back yet?" Phoebe asked, stepping out onto one of the many balconies of the tower they inhabited to join Hermione.

"Not yet, though I assumed this might take some time."

"Not to question your choices or anything, but I'm surprised you didn't send Catherine out there." Phoebe commented, leaning against the doorframe.

"Catherine's pregnant." Hermione said, not taking her eyes off of the horizon. "Don't feel bad," she added, sensing the shocked look on Phoebe's face. "She didn't tell me, either."

"Wow, that's… you mean before she came back here? She took a big risk…"

"She was reckless." Hermione interrupted. "Incredibly reckless to the point of foolishness. Coming back here in her condition was the stupidest thing she could have done… and maybe that's why I'm so damned proud of her." Phoebe arched her eyebrows.

"She took a chance, not only with her own life but with her child's as well." Hermione went on, turning at last to face Phoebe. "I don't know if I could have done that." Phoebe chuckled.

"Mi, you do it all the time. You've sent two of your girls out into a very dangerous world with no guarantee that they'll ever come back. That takes strength, Mi… I think that's exactly where Catherine gets her gung-ho attitude from. She takes after her mother."

"She needs a new role model." Hermione muttered. "Still, the fact that she decided not to tell anyone about this… it makes me start to question what _else _she hasn't been completely honest about." Phoebe sighed deeply.

"So, you've felt it too, have you?" she asked. Hermione studied the fingernails of her left hand for several moments as she pondered Phoebe's question.

"Yes." Hermione answered at last. "I have."

"Okay, then." Phoebe said. "So… what are we going to do?" Hermione was about to respond when the twins appeared, accompanied by two loud cracks that reverberated through the room, causing both Hermione and Phoebe to start.

"Well?" Hermione asked immediately.

"You were right, Phoebe." Miley admitted in a quiet voice.

"This can only be the Avatar's work." Danielle added. "People are acting… how to I put this…?"

"Overly chipper and strangely calm no matter the circumstances?" Phoebe suggested. Both Miley and Danielle nodded.

"Fine, then." Hermione said, turning to Phoebe. "What do we do?" Phoebe looked momentarily taken aback.

"I…. don't know." she said at last.

"The Charmed Ones beat the Avatars before." Danielle commented.

"I wouldn't say we beat them." Phoebe told her. "We bartered with them, is all… and it cost Paige someone she cared very deeply about."

"So, you think we should try talking to them?" Hermione asked.

"No, I don't think that'll work this time. Last time we had the upper hand; a potion that kills Avatars. We kept it at the manor, incase the Avatars ever tried anything again, but…"

"…the manor's gone." Hermione said grimly. "Okay, so we don't try talking to them, we…"

"I still don't get why they've started this now." Danielle said. "I mean, what's making them think things will go over any better this time?"

"My God…" Phoebe whispered, staring at Danielle as though she had just told her the ultimate answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything. "I should have seen this before!"

"Seen what?" Hermione asked.

"The Elders are gone, dead. This place obviously has protective spells cast on, and I can't believe if we're not affected by Utopia here that anyone from the outside world would be able to magically see what was going on here. The Charmed Ones haven't been seen in months. The Avatars must think the Power of Three is broken, and they may not even know that _you _exist." Phoebe said, indicating Hermione. "They think they've got free reign."

"Which would mean they wouldn't be expecting us." Miley commented.

"What? Attack them?" Phoebe asked. "Normal spells, powers, and potions won't work on the Avatars. We can't kill them, Miles… we can't even wound them…" Miley smiled.

"I know _we _can't," she said, her cinnamon eyes locking with her mother's matching ones. "but I think I might just know someone who _can_."


	23. Over the Line, Part One

_I rode all night on a big 'ol bus  
You came a long way to be with us  
You paid good money to see a show  
Yeah let's get ready cause here we go  
Get on your feet cause I´m plugged in  
So come on let's do this_

I turn it on, I crank it up  
I´ll show you all what I´m made of  
I´ll get loud, I´ll wear it out  
I´ll bring the roof in this house down  
I know just what you came here for  
And I want to hear you scream this more  
Get on your feet, you know you can't resist

let's do this,  
(na, na, na, na, na, na)  
(na, na, na, na, na, na)

Let's do this  
(na, na, na, na, na, na)  
(na, na, na, na, na, na)

Don't call this work but I´m paid to play  
And the real party starts backstage  
And all my friends, they sing my song  
I wish you all could come along  
To take a picture, to show your friends  
So come on, let's do this

I turn it on, I crank it up  
I´ll show you all what I´m made of  
I´ll get loud, I´ll wear it out  
I´ll bring the roof in this house down  
I know just what you came here for  
And I want to hear you scream this more  
Get on your feet, you know you can't resist

Oh, let's do this  
(na, na, na, na, na, na)  
(na, na, na, na, na, na)

Let's do this  
(na, na, na, na, na, na)  
(na, na, na, na, na, na)

Everybody come on, now's the time to get loud  
Throw your hands up, let me  
hear you shout it out  
All my people, let me see you  
jumping up and down  
Let me hear the words, you know  
you know 'em, sing it out  
Freak out, scream, shout  
This is what it's all about  
Let me hear the hook now

I turn it on, I crank it up  
I´ll show you all what I´m made of  
I´ll get loud, I´ll wear it out  
I´ll bring the roof in this house down  
I know just what you came here for  
And I want to hear you scream this more  
Get on your feet, you know you can't resist

Let's do this,  
(na, na, na, na, na, na)  
Let's do this, oh  
(na, na, na, na, na, na)

Let's do this  
(na, na, na, na, na, na)  
(na, na, na, na, na, na)  
Let's do this  


_**-**_** Hannah Montana, "**_**Let's Do This**_**"**

--

**Chapter 23**

**Over the Line, Part One**

**--**

"You mean me." said Hermione, her cinnamon eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Well, yeah." said Miley uncertainly. "Your powers undoubtedly rival the Avatar's…"

"Maybe she's right, Hermione." Phoebe put in. "The Power of Three can't even compare to the Avatar's power, but…"

"But…?" Hermione pressed.

"Well, the Avatars are powerful, but only as a collective. If one dies, the collective weakens. You, though…. Your power doesn't depend on how many people you have adding their power to yours. Not to mention, the Avatars just used a ton of power implementing Utopia. They'll be at their weakest point right now. If we strike quickly… maybe we could take them down."

Hermione walked away from the group and stepped out onto the balcony.

"Where are they?" she asked.

"The Avatars?" said Phoebe. "I can take you to them, Mi… assuming they're still using their old headquarters. If they aren't…"

"Let's assume they haven't moved for now." Hermione interrupted. "There's no sense in worrying about finding them someplace else until we're sure they aren't still where they're supposed to be."

"This is still very risky, Mum." said Danielle. "You're putting a lot of stock into what amounts to nothing more than a guess, well educated though it may be… it's still just a guess."

"She's got a point, Mi." said Phoebe, nodding in agreement with Danielle. "I _am _only guessing. There's a very good chance that the Avatars won't even be remotely affected by your powers." Still staring out at the island below her, Hermione asked,

"What are the chances that this will actually work?"

"Mi…" said Phoebe, shaking her head. "I honestly don't know."

"An estimate, then." Hermione suggested.

"Fifty-fifty… maybe." Nodding, Hermione turned away from the balcony.

"I'll take it." She told them. "Miley, I'm leaving you in charge of this city. If I were to die, you, being my eldest daughter, would be the next in line to receive Aurora's powers. Give us two hours, and if we're not back by then, submerge the island. Once we reveal our hand, they'll know where we come from, and if we lose…"

"They'll be gunning for Atlantis." Miley finished Hermione's sentence for her. "Okay, fine… but I'm sending someone after you if we have to sink the island."

"_No!_" Hermione exclaimed. "If we don't come back, assume the worst and submerge this island. Pretend Phoebe and I never existed. If we fail, there's nothing standing between the Avatars and Atlantis except a lot of water. Don't risk anyone's lives by coming after us."

"Mum, I…" Miley began, but Hermione cut her off.

"Listen, sweetheart… I'm trusting you with a great responsibly. I know how hard this is, so believe me when I say I know what you're feeling right now. Even so, I know you can handle it. Unfortunately, part of that responsibility entails doing things you really don't want to. It's against your instincts to abandon your friends and family when they are in trouble, but that's what I'm asking you to do. It's an act that takes incredible strength… strength I know you have."

"How do you know that?" Miley asked.

"Because you're my daughter, Miles. That's all the proof I need." Miley nodded, but did not speak. Hermione smiled slightly and turned to Phoebe.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"No." Phoebe muttered. "But we've got to go anyway."

"Yes, we do…" Hermione said, more to herself than to Phoebe. "Alright then, let's do this."

--

Phoebe and Hermione appeared in a pitch dark tunnel, the bright lights of Phoebe's orbing leaving both of them momentarily blinded.

"Okay, where are we?" Hermione asked, blinking rapidly to clear her eyes.

"Exactly?" Phoebe asked, shrugging. "I can't say… Suffice to say, we're in the Avatar's lair." Hermione lit her wand, bathing the narrow stone corridor in white light.

"Alright, tour guide," Hermione said. "Lead the way."

Phoebe set off down the corridor, Hermione following in her wake. They walked for nearly ten minutes before the passage opened onto a large room. A group of Avatars stood in a circle, gazing intently at a series of holographic images of various locations around the world. None of the Avatars seemed to notice either woman, except the one Phoebe recognized as Alpha. He turned from the holograms and slowly approached Phoebe and Hermione.

"I am not going to ask how it is that the pair of you have managed to avoid our influence." Alpha said, studying Phoebe's face with intense concentration.

"We live charmed lives." Phoebe said with a shrug.

"Clever as always, aren't you?" Alpha said. "What do you want?"

"We want you to reverse what you've done." Hermione said, stepping around Phoebe and addressing Alpha herself.

"And why would we do that?" Alpha asked her. "I see that neither of you has the same bargaining chip you did the last time we engaged the Charmed Ones in this battle of wills."

"You'll do it for the same reason you did last time." Hermione explained. "The world _still _isn't ready for what you're offering. I understand that you only want to make a better world; I understand why you think this is the best way. Truthfully, I even believe that one day Utopia will be the only thing that saves us from ourselves… but that day is not today."

"You have to give us all a chance to choose our own paths, not carve one out for us." Phoebe added.

"Everyone has the right to free will." Hermione said. "To choose what they do with their lives. Maybe we will destroy ourselves one day, I don't know. If we do, then it was our choices that led us there and we'll deserve whatever we get. But you've got to give us the chance to make those mistakes… it's the only way we'll ever learn."

Alpha studied Hermione closely for a long moment, clearly thinking over Hermione's words. At long last, he nodded.

"He was very wrong about you, Hermione Granger… very wrong indeed. He told us you would arrive here, looking for a fight. He clearly underestimated you." Alpha sighed. "Very well, we will put the world back as it was and disappear for a time. You are… correct in your statement that you deserve a chance to forge your own destinies, and… maybe one day you will choose us." Without another word he turned and walked away, the other Avatars followed suit.

"Who was he talking about?" Phoebe asked Hermione. "Who told him about you?"

"I… don't know." Hermione said absentmindedly. She stepped away from Phoebe, her attention drawn to a large, glass sphere resting atop a stone pedestal.

"What _is _that?" Hermione said, stretching out her fingers to touch the globe, which was filled with swirling white smoke.

"I don't know, but don't _touch _it!" Phoebe exclaimed reaching out to pull Hermione's hand back, but too late. Hermione's fingertips brushed against the glass at the same moment Phoebe's hand came in contact with Hermione's forearm. A brilliant flash of white light instantly blinded them. As their vision cleared, they began to realize their surroundings had changed considerably. Instead of a dark, underground chamber, they now found themselves surrounded by thick fog. They could see neither the floor, nor the ceiling, or even how far they could walk in any direction. As far as either of them could tell, they might have been floating amongst the clouds.

"Erm… Mi?" Phoebe began.

"Yes, Phoebe?" Hermione responded.

"Where are we?"

"I don't know, Phoebe."

"Well, why the hell did you touch that sphere thing anyway?"

"I… I don't know, I was… drawn to it. I felt like it was… calling to me."

"Calling to you?"

"Yeah," Hermione said. "I think we were supposed to come here."

"We were supposed to come here?" Phoebe repeated.

"I think so, I just… don't know _why. _Let me think about this for a minute, maybe…"

"Baby girl, you always did put too much thought into everything." A voice said from the fog.

"Oh, no way…" Hermione whispered, ignoring Phoebe who was staring at her with a perplexed expression on her face. A figure approached them through the fog, the figure of a young woman dressed in Muggle clothing. Hermione squinted at the figure, trying to discern a face.

"Mum?" Hermione asked, hardly daring to believe it, but she felt so sure… The figure stepped forward and Hermione instantly knew...

"Mum!" Hermione shouted, rushing forward and allowing herself to be engulfed in her mother's embrace. "It really is you! But… but how? You, you're…"

"Dead?" Emma Granger said quietly. "Yes, baby, I am."

"Then… then what's… how are you here? Where is here, anyway?"

"I don't know, exactly." Emma admitted, holding her daughter out at arms length to look her over. "But what does it matter, the how's and the why's?"

"I guess it really doesn't…" Hermione whispered. "I just… You have no idea how much I've missed you."

"I know it's hard," Emma said, sitting down on a stone bench that appeared from nowhere. "Growing up without you mother, I mean. You've been forced to live a hard, painful life and I wish I could have prevented it, but… Magic, it was all a bit beyond me, I must admit. Your father, he… he always tried to keep me out of his world, to protect me…"

"He really was a good man, then?" Hermione asked, slipping onto the bench beside her mother.

"Oh, darlin', that man loved you with his whole heart. I swear, I remember on the day you were born, he was absolutely terrified at the very thought of even holding you. He said he was afraid he'd hurt you somehow. I honestly don't think I've ever seen that man happier than he was on that day. I remember times when he would… I guess it really doesn't matter. He's dead, just like me. Still, he really did love you… but you! You still have such a great destiny to fulfill." Hermione shrugged.

"I… I don't know if I can." she whispered. "I don't even know if really care anymore."

"Oh, sweetheart, of _course _you care." Emma told her. "If you didn't, you wouldn't be here."

"That's not entirely true." Hermione countered. "Maybe I'm just here for Phoebe and the girls…"

"Then you care about them." Emma retorted. "It doesn't matter if you're doing everything you're doing for the good of the world, or the good of your family. Either way, the same goals will be accomplished. You just have to press on, and…"

"What if I don't _want_ to press on anymore?!" Hermione exclaimed, standing from her seat and taking several steps away from her mother. "What if I just want to stop? What if I just want to walk away?"

"Do you?" Emma asked. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I never wanted _any _of this in the first place!" she shouted. "All I wanted to do was find a way to fix this mess we've gotten ourselves into, but… all I've done is made things worse. I've tried to fix the world, Mum, and I can't."

"It isn't your place to fix the world, Hermione…" Emma began, but Hermione interrupted her.

"Yes, it is." Hermione argued. "Where we are now, what has become of the world leads back to me. Dumbledore may well have been pulling the strings, but I'm still at the heart of it all and ever since I finally realized that I've been trying to put the world back together, but I can't. I can't even help Phoebe, I…" Hermione glanced at Phoebe, who she had completely forgotten was there.

"I promised her that I would find a way to bring her sisters back, I… but I can't even do _that_! I have all this power trapped inside of me. I can kill millions with a mere thought, I could cause the universe to implode upon itself, but I can't fix… I can't bring Phoebe the sort of happiness she deserves, I can't…. do this anymore. I can't sit back and watch the world tear itself apart and have no power to stop it."

"Okay, baby." Emma said, guiding her daughter back over to the bench and making her sit. "It isn't your job to fix the world. It isn't your duty to repair the damage Dumbledore caused in your name. It isn't your responsibility to make the world a better place, because you were right. You can't fix the world. You don't need to. You don't need to make the world a better place for your family…" Emma looked over her shoulder at Phoebe. "All you need to do… is _love _them." Hermione nodded slowly, her expression was one of confusion.

"I wish you were still here, Mum." Hermione whispered, the tears she had struggled to keep at bay finally ran free. "I need you."

"Oh, sweetie." Emma said, pulling her daughter into a tight hug. "No, you don't. You've become such a strong and beautiful young woman, Hermione… and you've done that without me. Just like you have to go on now, without me." Hermione nodded.

"I know I do…" she said, her voice cracking. "I just… I love you, Mum."

"I love you too, baby girl." Emma gave her daughter a swift kiss on the cheek, and she was gone.

Several minutes passed in silence. Phoebe slowly approached Hermione and took her hand.

"Maybe we should get going." she suggested. "The others will want to know what happened with the Avatars." Hermione nodded.

"Yeah," she said. "I just… head on back, Phoebe, I… I need a minute."

"Take all the time you need, sweetie." Phoebe said, giving Hermione's hand a gentle squeeze and walking away.

Hermione didn't even register Phoebe's departure. Her mind never wandered to the question of how Phoebe knew how to leave this place, nor did she realize precisely how long she had stood there. All she knew for certain was that she was no longer alone.

"You can come out now." She said, peering through the mists. A figure approached her slowly from the fog, walking forward with slow, uncertain steps. "You heard everything, I take it."

"Yes, I did." Daniel Granger said, stepping up to his daughter and looking down at her through dark, saddened eyes. He sighed.

"I… I really don't know how to say this." He began. "I owe you an apology… Hell, I owe you much, much more than an apology, but I…"

"Dad, you don't have to apologize. I understand what happened, why you did the things you did."

"Does that forgive me of those actions, though?" Daniel asked. "Hermione, I was aware. I knew everything I did to you… I just wasn't in control of my actions. I fought, too… oh, I fought so hard against the force that controlled me, but I couldn't overpower it… I was weak."

"You weren't weak, Dad." Hermione told him. "You were facing off against Albus Dumbledore. Honestly, I would have been astounded if you _had _managed to break the spell."

"I prayed for death, Hermione." Daniel said. "Every day, every second, I… the things I did to you, the things I…"

"Don't beat yourself up too bad, okay Dad?" Hermione advised. "Yes, you did very terrible things, not only to me but to others as well. You took me to the lowest, darkest point in my life, and at times I didn't truly believe I would ever manage to work my way up again… at other times I didn't even care. But even with all of that… you gave me something that I would never give up. So despite the torment I went through, despite the things we did… You gave me Miley and Danielle, and… if I had to choose between erasing what you did or losing my daughters… I'd choose Miley and Danielle in a heartbeat. Because to me, it doesn't matter where they come from, or who their father is. They're my girls, and I wouldn't give them up for anything."

Daniel reached out and pulled his daughter into a tight hug.

"I love you so much, Mione… and I am so, so sorry that I was never the father you deserved." He slowly, unwillingly released her and she looked up into his eyes.

"I have to go." Daniel said, cupping Hermione's cheek with his palm and brushing her hair away from her face with the other. "Be safe, my darling daughter." And like her mother had done before, Daniel vanished. Hermione stood, watching the spot where her father had vanished for several moments before turning around and walking off into the fog.

--

Hermione reappeared in the stone chamber the Avatars had inhabited. Phoebe, who had been sitting on the cold, rocky floor, stood up.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked, walking up to Hermione and studying her dark eyes.

"I saw my dad." Hermione responded, taking Phoebe's hand.

"Oh…" Phoebe said. She was uncertain whether or not that was a good thing, so she waited for Hermione to elaborate.

"He… apologized, actually." Hermione continued. "It's really sad, I mean… I think he would have been a really great dad… Dumbledore just didn't give him the chance."

"I'm sorry, Mi." Phoebe said softly, she still wasn't sure what to say. Despite having worked as an advice columnist, this sort of thing wasn't really her forte.

"Yeah, sometimes I am too…" Hermione said, more to herself than to Phoebe. "I guess we'd better get back."

"We should." Phoebe agreed. Hermione glanced back at the sphere, the white fog still swirled within.

"What do you think that thing is?" Phoebe asked. Hermione shrugged.

"Phoebe, I don't have the slightest idea…" she said, like Phoebe she stared into the sphere, the swirling fog inside danced and glimmered. "and I'm not sure I even want to know."

--

Hermione and Phoebe returned to Atlantis to find the Control Room in utter chaos. Fire burned and doctors saw to the many wounded. Catherine spotted Phoebe and Hermione and hurried over.

"Kat, what happened?" Hermione asked, the moment she saw Catherine.

"He took Miley, Mum!" Catherine exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. "He just popped in, grabbed her, and left. So much power, I…"

"Catherine, listen to me." Hermione said, grasping her daughter's forearm and looking eyes with the young brunette. "_Who _took Miley?" Catherine eyes narrowed. Perhaps she thought she had already explained who had taken her, perhaps not. Either way, she looked up at her mother and said one word.

"Dad."


	24. Over the Line, Part Two

**--**

**Chapter 24**

**Over the Line, Part Two**

**--**

"Find him." Was all Hermione said to Catherine before turning and walking away.

"Find him?" Catherine called after her. "How am I supposed to do that?" Hermione stopped and turned around.

"Figure it out, that's your job. You want to help, then find Harry Potter. I don't care how you do it. Scry for him, teleportation spell, skywriter… stand on the side of the interstate with a big sign if you have to, just find him." Hermione turned on her heel and strode away, Phoebe hurrying along in her wake.

"Hermione, what are you going to do?" Phoebe asked, reaching out to grasp Hermione's arm. Hermione spun around, her eyes blazing.

"Let go of me, Phoebe." Hermione told her, and Phoebe's hand retracted from Hermione's arm so fast it was as though she had been burned.

"I am going to go and get my daughter back." Hermione explained, her voice trembling with anger.

"What about Harry?" Phoebe asked. Hermione didn't reply. "You're going to kill him, aren't you?"

"Of course not, Phoebe. I have no intention to kill him, but he and I are going to have a very long chat. I allowed him to stay away as long as he has because he wasn't bothering anyone. If he wishes to hate me, that's just fine. But once he goes after my children… No, Phoebe… Harry's taken this over the line and it is time to put this nonsense to bed."

"Fine, I agree with that… but I think we need to think about this a little more. Harry charges into the most secure facility on the planet and makes off with the woman you left in charge? That doesn't really make much sense, I mean… what's the purpose of kidnapping Miley, not to mention how he managed to get into the city."

Hermione's eyes widened and she swore loudly.

"Of _course_!" she exclaimed, turning around and heading back to the control room. "That's the only thing that makes sense! Why didn't I see it before?!" Hermione burst into the control room and hurried over to Catherine.

"Kat, you saw Harry take Miley?" Hermione demanded. Catherine looked up from a map of the world, with which she was attempting to scry for Harry and nodded.

"Yeah, he just came out of nowhere… Shot bolts of lightning everywhere, grabbed Miley and left." Hermione shook her head, and Phoebe's eyes widened. She turned to Hermione.

"You don't think…" she asked, hardly able to believe she was suggesting what she was.

"The 'he' Alpha mentioned?" Hermione said. "Yeah, I'm thinking so."

"Okay," Catherine said, irritation evident in her voice. "do the two of you sharing whatever the hell it is you're talking about?"

"When we reached the Avatars, the one called Alpha said something like; 'He underestimated you', in reference to me." Hermione explained. "I think he was talking about Harry."

"Harry?" Catherine asked. "That doesn't make any kind of sense. I know Harry's angry with you, but why would he need to work with the Avatars, let alone become one?"

"Because it takes a great deal of power to break into Atlantis, once the island has been locked down." Hermione said. "If Harry wanted in, he'd need much more power than he had at his disposal."

"So, he joins the Avatars just to go after Miley?" Catherine asked. "I don't buy it."

"I don't think he necessarily wanted Miley." Phoebe said. "Admittedly, I'm just guessing here, but I think Harry wanted you, Hermione."

"So Miley's the bait?" Catherine asked.

"I would say so." Phoebe told her. "Lure Hermione away from Atlantis, away from her friends and allies so Harry and his fellow Avatars can shut her down for good. I knew they gave up way too easily…"

"No, Phoebe… I don't think the Avatars lied when they said the were going to stop. After all, the did reverse Utopia like we asked. Personally, I think they went to Harry for support, to add to their collective. Even without his Charmed powers, Harry is an incredibly powerful wizard. I'm willing to bet Harry made a deal with them. He joins them, and they allow him to use his new powers to come after me however he sees fit."

"Okay, so this all fits together nicely." Catherine said. "The thing I don't understand is why on Earth Harry thinks he needs to kidnap a sixteen year old girl to draw you out? All he would need to do is ask for a meeting and you would've gone to him, or at least let him into the city. There's more to this." Hermione nodded.

"I'm inclined to agree. Nevertheless, we won't know for certain until we track him down. So, Catherine, get back to work. Phoebe, come with me."

--

"Mi, I know you're worried, but… can we talk? About what we started to talk about before,  
I mean?" Hermione and Phoebe were in the room they shared in the tallest tower of the palace. Hermione stood out of the balcony, breathing in the fresh, evening air, while Phoebe sat in a large armchair by the fireplace.

"Now really isn't the best time for that, Phoebe." Hermione said, not turning away from the view of the island.

"I know it isn't, Mi..." Phoebe responded. "but as soon as Catherine finds out where Harry is, we're going after him and… Look, if this turns out to be a trap set by the Avatars then there's a very good chance one or both of us may not come back. I don't want to die, or lose you and live the rest of my days not knowing…"

"Well, you wouldn't have many days left." Hermione told her, withdrawing from the balcony and settling down on the sofa. "All of my power would come flooding into you, and since you aren't prepared to contain that much power at once, the overload of pure magical energy would kill you almost instantaneously. There wouldn't be much time for pondering such things." Phoebe stared at her.

"You're in a particularly fine mood." She said.

"My ex-husband kidnapped my daughter." Hermione responded. "What do you want from me? I can't just sit around an chat like nothing's wrong, Phoebe." Phoebe sighed.

"Yeah, I know that, Mi." she said. "I just… we _need_ to talk about this."

"Fine," Hermione said exasperatedly. "fine, talk."

"At first this felt so right." Phoebe whispered, after remaining silence for nearly five minutes. "This… us, I thought. I was so sure that the two us were… I was even prepared to fight Harry for you, but now…"

"It feels like… every time we're together… some part of me, some…. some fragment of my mind is screaming at me that I don't want this, us…" Hermione finished Phoebe's sentence for her.

"Exactly." Phoebe said. "So, what the hell's going on? I mean, none of this happened before we found this place. Sure, we were very close, closer than most people, but… I never even considered anything romantic, at least not until we came here."

"Catherine once said, '_We were _destined _to be together_.'" Hermione added thoughtfully. "Remind you of anything?"

"If you're talking about the Angels of Destiny… Mi, they don't interfere. We map our own destinies."

"Yeah…" Hermione said slowly. "Right. Well, then why on Earth did this… my God… that's it! It has to be…"

"Mione, what's…?" But with a flash of lightning and a bolt of thunder, Hermione was gone."

--

Catherine was still searching for Harry alone in the control room when Hermione arrived.

"You _knew_!" Hermione exclaimed, causing Catherine to jump."

"Knew… what?" Catherine asked, perplexed.

"Don't play games with me, Kat." Hermione warned. "It's this goddamned city, isn't it?"

"Yes." Catherine said quietly.

"And you knew? You knew all along, and you _never _told us!"

"It was…."

"You say that it was for the best, and I swear to God…" Hermione interrupted.

"No, Mum… it was necessary." Hermione stared at her.

"Kat, these are our _lives _you're screwing with!" Hermione shouted.

"This had to happen, Mum." Catherine said. "I'm sorry, but when I learned that this place, this city… the magic here… once I realized that it would cause you and whoever your anchor happened to be to fall in love… I knew that secret needed to stay buried."

"Because _you _knew if _we _knew what was going on, we would fight its influence." Hermione suggested.

"Exactly." Catherine told her. "Look, the whole point of this place causing whoever possesses Aurora's powers and their individual anchor, in this case being Phoebe, to fall in love is to make sure that the anchor is protected."

"Kat, I would protect Phoebe no matter what, romantically involved or not." Catherine nodded.

"And I knew that when I came back here." she said. "I knew Phoebe would be safe as long as she was with you. The only reason I didn't tell the two of you about it was because I needed you distracted."

"Distracted?" Hermione repeated.

"Yes." Catherine said. "Listen, I came back here to fix the future… but I knew I might have to do things that you would… disagree with. I figured if you had someone to occupy your time…"

"I don't like being deceived, Catherine."

"And I don't like living in a fucked up world, but guess what?! That's how I've lived my entire life! I've been shifted from one screwed up reality to the next, and I'm sick of it!"

"It doesn't matter what we do, or say, or try to fix… Well, I'm done with it! This time, I'm putting things right and I don't care what else happens in the process!"

Hermione sighed, and gently pulled Catherine into a tight hug when she realized her daughter was crying.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart." she whispered. "I know you've been through so much… pain, loss… I know it isn't fair, or right… Every time we think we've put the world back together, it just falls apart again. I know you've lived a very painful life… from the days of living alone with me in a world controlled by Voldemort… not even possessing the material things necessary for survival, to being tossed around to various futures that we thought we'd fixed.

"You just want a normal life, baby… and I'm so sorry that I can't give that to you. If I could, if I… If I knew how, you know I would. You've been through more than you should have had to go through, so I understand. I get why you did the things you did, why you lied to us… and it's okay. In your place, I may have chosen to do the very same."

--

It was midday before Phoebe and Hermione woke the following morning. Catherine had stayed up all night working, but she still had no idea where Harry might be lurking.

Phoebe sat up in bed and looked down at Hermione, who was still fast asleep. Hermione had told her the truth about what Catherine had done, about why Catherine had hidden the truth from them. She understood, she even accepted why Catherine had done it. She just wasn't sure she had forgiven her yet. The romantic feelings she and Hermione felt for each other may not have been real, but merely brought on by their connection to each other and the magical island, but that fact didn't stop Phoebe from feeling rather sad. Phoebe's love for Hermione, an illusion though it may have been, had certainly felt real to Phoebe, and it hurt now. Phoebe knew Hermione felt the same way, but the more Phoebe thought about it, the more she realized that an illusion was all their relationship ever had been. They had been brought together by magic, not by their own true feelings, and now that Phoebe knew about it, the effect of the magic was gone. And in some ways, Phoebe was glad. Not that she hadn't been happy with Hermione, for she was certain she had been, no… this just made what she had to do a little easier.

Catherine burst unexpectedly into the room, holding a map and looking exhausted but thrilled.

"I found her!" Catherine shouted, causing Hermione to wake with a start, and Phoebe to rush out of bed and hurry over to study the map.

"That's Magic School." Phoebe said, staring at the point on the map where the crystal had dropped. "Harry's hold up in Magic School."

"Well, I can't say for certain if Harry's there." Catherine said, watching Hermione climb out of bed and look at the map for herself. "But Miley is. I was never able to get a fix on him, maybe because his Avatar powers are blocking me. Anyway, I decided to scry for Miley instead and… well, you can see the results for yourself."

"No one's been to Magic School since Dumbledore attacked it a few months ago." Phoebe commented. "It makes sense that Harry would use it as a hideout."

"Okay," Hermione said. "Phoebe, go find Draco and Danielle, we'll need their help. Kat…"

"I'm coming with you." Catherine said immediately.

"No, honey, you're not." Hermione told her. "We have absolutely no idea what we'll be walking into, and I'm not about to take my pregnant daughter into that kind of danger. Baby, you've done what I've asked you, thank you… let us take it from here, okay?" Slowly Catherine nodded. The pair of them waiting in silence until Phoebe returned, Draco and Danielle in tow.

"Phoebe says we've found them." Draco said, pocketing his wand.

"Well, we've found Miley at least." Catherine said.

"That's good enough for me." Draco said. "Let's go get her."

--

A crash of thunder reverberated through the half-collapsed halls of Magic School as Hermione appeared, closely followed by the loud crack of Draco's Apparation, the jingle of Phoebe's orbing, and the burst of fire as Danielle flamed in.

"Most of this place has collapsed." Phoebe whispered. "Catherine said the entire north wing was gone, along with most of the upper floors. If Harry really is holding her here, I'd say she'll be down on the sub-basement level."

"Okay, then." Hermione said. "Let's split up. That way, if one group is caught, the other one still has a chance to get to Miley. Danielle, you'll come with me. Draco, you can team up with Phoebe. The two of you will head down to the sub-basement level, but take the east wing corridor, and stay out of sight. Danielle and I are going straight in. If anyone encounters an Avatar, including Harry, try to avoid them, but if you get into a situation… do whatever you have to." Draco nodded and retrieved his wand. Danielle turned and began slowly walking off down the corridor. Phoebe turned to Hermione.

"Good luck." She whispered.

"Be safe, Phoebe."

--

Hermione and Danielle reached the sub-basement first. They encountered no one the entire way down, nor did they find any guards once they reached their destination. This didn't sit well with Hermione. She felt certain that if this was the Avatar's doing, they would have some form of security… which led her back to her original thought; that Harry was working alone. Together, mother and daughter, crept slowly into the sprawling basement area. The room was almost completely dark, save for a few torches lit along the walls. Neither Hermione nor Danielle lit their wands, for the brilliant light would shine like a beacon for anyone watching for them. Hermione suddenly wished Draco still had his Hand of Glory.

Hermione and Danielle moved forward slowly, their speed hampered by the fact the floor was shrouded in darkness. All they needed was for one of them to trip and fall over a low-lying object, or worse, become separated. So, the pressed forward, Danielle gripping to Hermione's hand as she led the way onward. They walked for nearly ten minutes, though they made little progress, until they reached an area that was lit with significantly more torches; enough so that they could easily see where they were going, and what was ahead of them… of course, that also meant that anyone watching could see them too.

They continued on, passing crates filled with books, potion ingredients, and hundreds of other items, but they saw no sign of Harry or Miley… at least until they rounded a massive, steel vat filled with something the warning labels on the side claimed was toxic, and spotted the figure of a small girl lying on the floor. Even from the distance of ten yards that separated them, both Danielle and Hermione knew instantly that the figure was Miley. Hermione ordered Danielle to stay hidden, and crept out toward Miley, knowing that if a trap was to be sprung, now would be the time. She ran forward, expecting a spell to stop her in her tracks, or perhaps a bolt of lightning would strike her dead on the spot.

These dark thoughts proved untrue, however, as Hermione reached Miley without incident and carefully lifted the unconscious girl into her arms. Miley's clothes were ragged and torn, and she was covered in blood. Hermione silently swore that Harry would pay for what he had done to her little girl. As Hermione stood and began to walk back to Danielle, Phoebe and Draco emerged from behind a stack of crates.

"Fuck me…" Draco whispered upon seeing Miley's condition, while Phoebe simply gasped.

"We need to get her back to Atlantis." Hermione said. "She's alive and I'll be able to heal her, but I've got to get her home first."

"I'm going to stay behind." Draco said. "Harry's obviously been here, and I intend to find him."

"That's very sweet and noble, Draco, but no… you're coming with us. If Harry has Avatar powers, he'll be way more than a match for you. We'll worry about Harry later. For now, let's just go home."

--

"How is she?" Phoebe asked as Hermione emerged from Miley's room. She had taken her daughter straight to the bedroom she shared with her twin sister and proceeded to heal her while the others remained outside in the corridor.

"She's going to be fine." Hermione said, although she looked sick. "He did a number on her, but she's healing nicely. There may be some residual bruising, but otherwise she'll be okay."

"Thank God." Phoebe said, sighing with relief.

"Yeah…" Hermione said softly. "Listen, Draco… Kat's still up in the control room trying to find Harry. I'd appreciate it if you would go and help her. She's been up for more than twenty-four hours, and she needs a break." Draco nodded and hurried off. Hermione turned to Danielle.

"Phoebe and I need to talk." She said. "Would you mind staying with you sister for a bit?"

"That's where I was going anyway." Danielle said, quietly opening her bedroom door and slipping inside. Hermione waited until Danielle was out of earshot, and then asked Phoebe to follow her.

As they walked down the beautiful, golden corridor, Phoebe's heart filled with dread. There was something Hermione hadn't told them.

"Mi, what's going on?" Phoebe asked. Hermione stopped and pulled Phoebe down a corridor that branched away from the main passage. As Hermione released her, Phoebe could tell that Hermione's entire body trembled with what could only be pure rage, and she was crying.

"He raped her." Hermione said, her already whisper soft voice was quieter than usual.

"My God…" Phoebe whispered, barely able to believe her ears. "He…. He really…?"

"Yes, Phoebe… he did." Hermione said.

"What are you going to do?" Phoebe asked quietly. Hermione gazed at her for a long moment, her eyes ablaze with fury.

"I'm going to find that son of bitch, even if I have to search the entire universe twice over, I'll find him… and when I do, I swear on my own life, I will kill him."

"Hermione, I… I know you're angry, I know that you… You aren't thinking clearly right now. You…"

"Phoebe, that bastard raped my daughter. He was like a father to her, and… I know what that's like… what that kind of betrayal feels like. So, no… he has to pay. I'll take whatever punishment I get when I'm done, but that man is going to die, I promise you, Phoebe."

"Earlier, you said…" Phoebe began, but Hermione cut her off.

"That was before this." She said. "When he had only kidnapped her, I was willing to discuss this. But he didn't just kidnap her. He raped her, he _tortured _her... so I'm done with talking. Now I'm after vengeance."

"I understand, to a degree, your feelings, Mi… I know you want to hurt Harry, kill him even… but that won't change what happened to Miley… it won't take away the memories she'll carry with her for the rest of her life."

"Phoebe, you can do one of two things. You can either help me, or you can get out of my way because I swear to you if you put yourself between me and Harry Potter I can promise that you will get hurt."

"Hermione…"

"Phoebe, I mean it. You know what I intend to do now. You know how far I'll go to get him. I need to know… Are you still with me?"

Phoebe sighed and dropped her gaze to the floor. Phoebe disagreed with what Hermione intended to do, she hated it… but she felt she owed Hermione this one last thing, something kind she could do for her best friend before she broke her heart. Besides, once before, and it felt like an eternity to Phoebe, Hermione had posed this very same question to her, and Phoebe's response would be the same as it had been then.

Phoebe looked up at Hermione and smiled slightly. She took the young goddess's hand and nodded.

"To the end, Mi… no matter how this plays out."


	25. Over the Line, Part Three

_Your subtleties  
They strangle me  
I can't explain myself at all.  
And all the wants  
And all the needs  
All I don't want to need at all._

The walls start breathing  
My mind's unweaving  
Maybe it's best you leave me alone.  
A weight is lifted  
On this evening  
I give the final blow.

When darkness turns to light,  
It ends tonight  
It ends tonight.

A falling star  
Least I fall alone.  
I can't explain what you can't explain.  
You're finding things that you didn't know  
I look at you with such disdain

The walls start breathing  
My mind's unweaving  
Maybe it's best you leave me alone.  
A weight is lifted  
On this evening  
I give the final blow.

When darkness turns to light  
It ends tonight,  
It ends tonight.  
Just a little insight won't make this right  
It's too late to fight  
It ends tonight,  
It ends tonight.

Now I'm on my own side  
It's better than being on your side  
It's my fault when you're blind  
It's better that I see it through your eyes

All these thoughts locked inside  
Now you're the first to know

When darkness turns to light  
It ends tonight,  
It ends tonight.  
Just a little insight won't make this right  
It's too late to fight  
It ends tonight,  
It ends

When darkness turns to light  
It ends tonight,  
It ends tonight.  
Just a little insight won't make this right  
It's too late to fight  
It ends tonight,  
It ends tonight.

Tonight  
Insight  
When darkness turns to light,  
It ends tonight. 

**-All American Rejects, "**_**It Ends Tonight**_**"**

--

**Chapter 25**

**Over the Line, Part Three**

**--**

The search for Harry proved difficult. All of Catherine's attempts to locate him had proven unsuccessful and she had tried everything she could think of.

"I'm sorry, Mum." Catherine said two days after Miley's rescue. "I've done my best, I've tried everything I can, but I can't find him. I've gotten close, I think… but something is blocking me from getting a proper lock."

"Avatars have the ability to cloak lairs." Phoebe commented, looking up from the book she was reading. "It's possible that wherever Harry's hiding, he's made his hideout invisible to anyone looking for it."

"And how do you propose we find him, then?" Catherine asked.

"I honestly don't know." Phoebe said. "The fact is, Harry knows how we operate, he knows exactly what steps we'll take to find him, so he'll know exactly what to do to ensure we don't."

"I've tried the Return a Lost Loved One spell, To Call a Lost Witch… Mum, I'm completely out of options." Hermione nodded, and then looked to Phoebe.

"Pheebs, you are the foremost expert on the Avatars I have at my disposal. Do you have _any_ ideas on how we could find him?" Phoebe sighed.

"Well," she said thoughtfully. "I might know someone who could help, if he's willing."

"And just who would that be?" Hermione asked.

"Well, he's… a demon. The worst of the demons, actually. Still, he doesn't like the Avatars any more than we do. Not to mention, he knows just about all there is to know about movements in the Underworld."

"You think Harry's in the Underworld?" Catherine inquired.

"It's a possibility." Phoebe said. "He's obviously been planning this for a while now. He didn't just cook this up overnight. He would need a safe place to do that, and while it is true that portions of the Underworld have been rebuilt since it was destroyed at the end of the war, I would imagine that there are still some sections that are still abandoned, but structurally sound enough to hide in if need be. It wouldn't surprise me if Harry was there at one point, even if he isn't now."

"Okay, then." Hermione said. "Who's this demon we're supposed to talk to?" Phoebe grimaced.

"Yeah… about that… You're not going to like it."

--

"It amazes me that after all these years the powerful _Charmed Ones _are coming to _me _for help."

"Look, we really don't have time for this." Phoebe said. "Do you know anything or not?"

"What really interests me is what Ms. Hermione Granger is doing here." The black robed demon reached out his hand toward her and gazed into his palm. "Let's see what it is that you _fear _the most." The Demon of Fear concentrated for a moment, then chuckled. "Oh, I see, I see… well, isn't that sweet. Your worst fear is the thought of losing any more of your family." Phoebe's gaze suddenly dropped to the floor at this pronouncement.

"I understand that you're having fun at my expense, but we're in a hurry." Hermione growled. "So, either you know something, or you don't." After several moments, Hermione added; "Fast would be preferable to slow."

"I _might _know something. But I'll not just pass it along to you in exchange for nothing."

Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"How about if you tell me, I make your death slightly less painful than I would otherwise?"

"You know," the Demon of Fear said. "Threatening to kill me really isn't all that great of an incentive."

"Alright, look!" Hermione exclaimed. "I've got an abused and raped daughter, another daughter who has lied to me twice and also happens to be pregnant, a friend who is desperate to hunt Harry down, and another friend who hates everything I intend to do when I find Harry." Hermione took a deep breath. "So, I really, really, really, really, _really _don't have time for this beating-around-the-bush shit right now. Tell me what you know, and we'll be on our way. Refuse again, and I plan on blowing you into a million little pieces."

"Oh, my dear girl… the one you're hunting has been under your nose the whole time."

--

"He's been at Hogwarts all this time? You have _got _to be kidding."

"It makes sense though, doesn't it?" Phoebe commented, causing Catherine to arch her eyebrows. "Hogwarts is the last place we would look for him. I mean, like Magic School, no one has been to Hogwarts since Dumbledore destroyed the place. The ruins were labeled as being too unstable to search."

"We ran a scan on the school the moment you two came back." Danielle said, drawing their attention to one of the control room's stone consoles. "Nearly the entire school has collapsed upon itself, but there are still pockets where someone could potentially hide." A blueprint of the school appeared on the console's screen.

"The Chamber of Secrets is still intact, along with several secret passages out of the castle. Several sections of the third floor corridor appear stable enough… there's also…"

"Wait a minute, you said the third floor?" Hermione interrupted. "Which side of the third floor from the Grand Staircase?" Danielle studied the screen.

"Erm… looks like most of the left side of the corridor has collapsed. The right hand side, though, appears to be relatively intact." Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"What are you thinking?" Phoebe asked.

"There's a secret passageway under the right side of the third floor corridor. That's where Dumbledore hid the Philosopher's Stone in our first year. Harry, Ron and I went down through the trap door to find it in order to stop Voldemort from getting it."

"And you think Harry's hiding out in a secret chamber under the third floor?" Catherine asked. Hermione nodded.

"Like Phoebe said, the last place we'd look."

"Well let's check it out, then." Draco said, twirling his wand between his fingers.

"Not without a plan, we're not." Hermione said. "I'm not about to go into that school unprepared."

"Hermione, if Harry finds out we're onto him, he'll pull out before we can even…"

"I'm well aware of them, Draco. But I'd rather have to track him down again than order an assault and end up walking into a trap. No, if we're going to do this, we're going to need a strategy."

"Power of Three spell'd be enough to take him down, Mum." Danielle said. "If that's the route you plan on taking anyway."

"I would prefer not to involve the Power of Three if I can avoid it. Miley's in no condition to come with us, not to mention how she would feel about being asked to kill Harry, despite what he did to her. No, I won't ask her to do that… not in her current state, I…"

"My current state is perfectly fine, thank you." Miley said, entering the control room and sitting down on the sofa next to Phoebe. "But even so, I won't help you kill Harry, Mum. Listen, there's something going on with him."

"Yeah, he's gone completely off his nut, that's what's going on with him." Catherine said.

"He's not crazy, Kat." Miley told her. "The man who took me, the man who did the things he did… that wasn't Harry, at least not the Harry I've known for the past eight years."

"Right, because you typically aren't the same person when you've lost your mind." Danielle said.

"I'm telling you, he isn't insane." Miley said. "Nor is he crazy, or loopy, or mad, he hasn't lost touch with reality, he hasn't gone off the deep end, or lost his marbles. No, I think he's under a spell."

"A spell?" Hermione asked. "What kind of spell, sweetie?"

"Who am I? Captain Knows Everything?" Miley deadpanned. "All I know is, he wasn't acting crazy. That man knew exactly what he was doing, I just… I know Harry, and I know that he would never willingly do what he did to me, no matter how mad he is at you, Mum."

"We encountered Andras, the Spirit of Rage. He could enhance a person's anger to the point that they would just become consumed with fury." Phoebe said. "Cole used him to make me and my sisters so furious with each other that it broke the Power of Three. Maybe that demon got to Harry."

"That's possible." Miley admitted. "But I think this is something Dumbledore did. Maybe he used the same spell he used on my dad."

"Maybe, but we don't have even the tiniest bit of hard evidence to prove that… and even if that is the case, we don't have the slightest idea what that spell is, nor do we know how to break it." Hermione said, gazing at Miley intently.

"Mum," Miley said quietly. "I know you want to kill Harry for what he did to me. I know you're skeptical of this because if it's true it means you can't hunt down the person who hurt your daughter, but… I can't sit by and let you kill someone who may be innocent. If it really was Harry on his own, not under a spell, then you can do whatever you want to him, I won't care… but if he's being controlled, if he's acting against his will… We have to be sure, Mum."

"I know we do, baby." Hermione whispered. "You're right, Miles."

"Alright, so we capture him then." Phoebe said, clapping her hands together. "Bring him back here and find a way to break the spell… and if we discover there isn't a spell, then…"

"We put him on trial." Hermione said softly, her eyes boring into Miley's. "We let a jury of his peers decide his punishment."

"Hermione, are you sure you want to…" Phoebe began.

"Yes, Phoebe, I am." Hermione said. "I want to kill him, I want to make him suffer for what he's done… but that isn't my job. I can't do that, not if I intend to be any better than Dumbledore or all the other evil beings we've faced. So, if there is no spell, then we'll bring him back and let the legal system run its course."

"And you'll be able to go along with whatever the courts decide?" Phoebe asked.

"Whatever punishment they set, in my mind, won't be strict enough… but I will accept their decision." Phoebe nodded.

"Alright, then," She said, standing and lifting the Book of Shadows into her arms. "Let's get to work."


	26. Endgame

_It's been a long road  
Getting from there to here  
It's been a long time  
But my time is finally near_

And I can feel the change in the wind right now  
Nothing's in my way  
And they're not gonna hold me down no more  
No they're not gonna hold me down

'Cause I've got faith of the heart  
I'm going where my heart will take me  
I've got faith to believe  
I can do anything  
I've got strength of the soul  
And no one's gonna bend or break me  
I can reach any star  
I've got faith, I've got faith, faith of the heart

It's been a long night  
Trying to find my way  
Been through the darkness  
Now I've finally had my day

And I will see my dream come alive at last  
I will touch the sky  
And they're not gonna hold me down no more  
No they're not gonna change my mind

'Cause I've got faith of the heart  
I'm going where my heart will take me  
I've got faith to believe  
I can do anything  
I've got strength of the soul  
And no one's gonna bend or break me  
I can reach any star  
I've got faith, I've got faith, faith of the heart

I know that we're so cold  
We've seen the darkest days  
But now the winds I feel  
Are only winds of change  
I've been through the fire  
I've been through the rain  
But I'll be flying, oh yeah

'Cause I've got faith of the heart  
I'm going where my heart will take me  
I've got faith to believe  
I can do anything  
I've got strength of the soul  
And no one's gonna bend or break me  
I can reach any star  
I've got faith, I've got faith, faith of the heart

**--Russell Watson, "**_**Faith of the Heart**_**"**

--

**Chapter 26**

**Endgame**

**--**

Hermione, Phoebe, Danielle, and against her mother's wishes, Catherine, appeared suddenly out of thin air above the trapdoor that led to what was believed to be Harry's hideout. Teams from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement were Apparating into all of the sections of the castle deemed stable enough for entry, but Hermione had insisted that she and her companions be the ones who went to the third floor.

Phoebe bent down and slowly opened the door. The area beyond was pitch black. Danielle dropped a potion vial into the hole. It fell to the stone floor and shattered, illuminating the room with brilliant light. The Devil's Stare that had once inhabited the large room was gone. There was no one waiting for them.

Hermione magically lowered each of them through the trapdoor and into the chamber below. Together, they set off through the room that had once held the flying keys, past the chamber where the massive troll had lived, past the chessboard room and the chamber that had contained Snape's potions. None of the traps that had been put in place to protect the Philosopher's Stone had remained, none except the Mirror of Erised.

The tall mirror still stood as it had the night Harry had encountered it, along with Lord Voldemort. It baffled Hermione as to why such a powerfully magical object had been allowed to remain in such a dismal place, but then perhaps that's why it was in this place; because it _was_ so powerful.

"What is that, Mi?" Phoebe asked, pointing at the mirror.

"The Mirror of Erised." Hermione said distractedly, walking around to the back of the mirror as though she thought Harry might in fact be hiding behind it. When she emerged from the other side and noticed the perplexed look on Phoebe's face, she said;

"It's the Mirror of Desire. Erised; desire spelled backwards."

"And those words at the top?" Phoebe asked. "What does Erised stra ehru...?"

"I show not your face, but your heart's desire." Hermione interrupted. "That's backwards as well, just not…" she broke off, looking around the room as though she hoped to see a signpost pointing in Harry's direction.

"It's funny, I… I was certain he would be here, in this room."

"Well, we _are_ operating on information retrieved from a demon." Catherine pointed out.

"Well, we can't go any further this way." Danielle said. "There's only one passage in and out of this room. We should…" Danielle stopped speaking suddenly and looked around. Phoebe was on her knees in front of the Mirror, sobbing. Danielle exchanged a glance with Catherine, who looked away. Hermione approached Phoebe and knelt down beside her.

"I shouldn't have looked." Phoebe moaned, crying into Hermione's shoulder. "But I thought… I thought maybe seeing them again would…"

"I know," Hermione whispered, gently patting Phoebe on the back. "I know loosing someone as important to you as Piper and Paige were is by no means easy. The loss you've suffered is… indescribable. But sweetheart, this mirror… it doesn't show us what is, or even what could be. It shows us what we want most in this world. That's why you see Piper and Paige… perhaps even Prue standing there with you. You see them because you would do anything, sacrifice whatever you had to in order to get them back. Being with your family again is the deepest and most desperate desire you have… and it is okay to look into this mirror, to see the things you can't, or don't, have." Phoebe nodded, her eyes drawn back to the mirror.

"I don't want to interrupt," Catherine said quietly. "but Harry isn't here, and I for one would like to find out why. We should go." Hermione nodded and slowly stood, bringing Phoebe up with her.

"Alright, let's go assist the other teams. Kat, I know you're going to yell at me, but please return to Atlantis and see if you can discover another way to locate him." Catherine sighed.

"Fine." She said. "You're gonna owe me though." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Alright, let's get back to the surface and see how the others are doing." Hermione, Danielle and Catherine headed for the exit, but Phoebe lagged behind, her eyes still glued to the Mirror of Erised.

"You two go on." Hermione said. "We'll be along." Catherine shook her head.

"It's okay, we'll wait." She told her.

Hermione turned around and slowly walked toward Phoebe. She reached out and took Phoebe's hand.

"Pheebs, sweetie… I understand how tempting this mirror is, what it offers… but honey, I promise you…. This mirror will only cause you pain. It gives us nothing, Phoebe… people have lost their minds by staring into its depths, becoming obsessed with what they see, yet being unable to obtain it."

"I miss them so much, Mi…" Phoebe whispered.

"I know you do, baby." Hermione said. "I know you miss them, but the images you're seeing in the mirror, those aren't your sisters. They may look like them, but Piper and Paige aren't here. It will do you no good to dwell on the things you see in this mirror, Phoebe…"

Slowly, very slowly, Phoebe nodded.

"Yeah…" she said, tearing her eyes away from the mirror. "Right."

Hermione was about to suggest they leave this place, when she just happened to glance into the ancient mirror. The images she saw astounded her. For a moment, she didn't believe what she was seeing. How could a mortal being, a mere human heart long for something so beautiful, so bright, so… words could barely begin to describe what she had seen. Then, without warning, the image changed. It was then that she realized their mistake; it was only then that she knew what they had missed. She spun around to face the others, her eyes alight with joy.

"I think," she said, glancing over her shoulder at the mirror once again. "I've found him."

--

"Of _course_!" Hermione exclaimed as she burst into her bedroom and began rummaging under the bed, "The answer's been right in front of us the whole time! How could I be so _stupid_?" She found what she was looking for, a battered old box with several red jewels encrusted around the lock. She opened it with a wave of her hand and retrieved a wrinkled and dirty piece of parchment, which she showed to the others.

"You've still got that?" Danielle asked. "I thought it was at the Manor." Hermione shook her head.

"No, it was one of the few things I thought to bring with me before we left that day." Hermione explained. "With this, if Harry's at Hogwarts, we'll find him."

She hurried over to a table and spread out the folded up parchment. She raised her wand and said,

"_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good._"

--

"Mum, we just left here."

"Thank you for stating the blatantly obvious, Kat. I'll see to it you get a medal when we get home." Hermione said, laying out the Marauder's Map on the floor of the chamber containing the Mirror of Erised and looking over it again. "The map clearly shows that Harry is somewhere in this room. Not above it, below it, or somewhere nearby, but in this very room."

"Is it possible that the map is broken?" Danielle asked. "Maybe the collapse of the castle caused it to stop working properly."

"The map has rearranged itself to account for the damage done by Dumbledore's potion. It reconfigured itself to show the castle as it is now." Phoebe pointed out. "The map has to be correct."

"Well, where is Harry?" Catherine asked.

"I don't…" Hermione began, but she broke off. Phoebe had returned to the Mirror of Erised and was staring at it intently. "Phoebe, I told you before…"

"No, Mi… not that." Phoebe said, turning to face her. "This mirror… you said it shows us what we want most, right?"

"It does." Hermione confirmed.

"Okay, the last time you looked in it you saw yourself finding Harry by using the Marauder's Map."

"Yes, which did nothing but lead us back here." Hermione said.

"But like you said, the map never lies. Therefore, Harry has to be here. He can't be invisible, because I know your powers allow you to see cloaked beings. He can't have used a trapdoor or hidden compartment because the map would've shown him there. He has to be in this room."

"But we've already seen that he isn't." Danielle said.

"Au Contraire." Phoebe said, pointing at the Mirror of Erised. "He's in there." Catherine's eyes narrowed.

"Say who now?" she asked, looking at Phoebe as though she were crazed.

"Mi, is it possible that this mirror not only shows us our deepest desire, but also what we want most at the moment?" Hermione shrugged.

"I guess it's possible." She said. "I'm no expert on the Mirror, obviously, but I don't see why it couldn't."

"Well, that's good." Phoebe said. "Because when I looked into this mirror a moment ago, all my thoughts were focused on getting to Harry, and I saw him using this mirror like some sort of portal."

"A portal?" Danielle asked. "A portal to where?"

"I haven't the foggiest." Phoebe said. "All I know is, he reached out his hand and touched the glass… and he disappeared."

Hermione immediately approached the mirror. She stretched her hand forward to touch the glass. As she did so, Dumbledore's image appeared in the mirror. It smiled warmly at her and nodded.

"That bastard…" she whispered. "Alright, this is it. I don't know where this mirror will take us, but I'll be willing to bet we'll be attacked the moment we arrive. Catherine, I want you to…"

"No, Mum… I'm coming. I want to see this through." Hermione stared at her for the longest time before deciding that this was a battle she wasn't going to win, and conceded.

"Very well." She said, turning back to the mirror and taking a deep breath. "Let's go."

--

With a crack like a whip, the four women were deposited in a dark, cold, rocky chamber. It was very damp, and it was clear to all of them that they were deep underground.

"Does anyone else feel sick?" Phoebe asked, struggling to her feet and swaying slightly from dizziness.

"That… was different." Hermione said, standing up and gripping the stone wall to keep herself from falling over. "I know Apparating feels like you've been sucked through a garden hose, but that was like a…

"Coffee straw." Danielle said, helping Catherine stand and lighting her wand. Catherine did the same and asked,

"Anyone know where we are?"

"The Underworld's my guess." Phoebe said, examining the rock walls illuminated by Catherine and Danielle's wand light.

"Well, it's a dead end this way." Danielle said, using her wand to light the solid wall of rock behind them.

"Then all we can do is go forward." Hermione said, lighting her own wand.

Hermione led the way down the narrow path, the others following close behind her, occasionally tripping over a stray stone. They had been walking for nearly five minutes when the path widened and opened onto a chamber filled with an assortment of demons and Death Eaters. Danielle and Catherine raised their wands as the enemy turned toward them, but waves of white light burst from Hermione's outstretched hands, striking the servants of evil dead in a heartbeat.

"_Damn_…" Catherine whispered, awed as most people typically were at the sight of the power Hermione wielded. Hermione whimpered slightly and looked as though she might collapse. Phoebe rushed to help her remain on her feet.

"That took… a lot more power than it normally would have." Hermione said. For the first time in a long time, Phoebe saw fear in Hermione's eyes.

"Our powers are weakened down here." She said, confirming Hermione's fears. "I guess yours could potentially be weakened even more so, being what you are."

"My power is… limited as it is." Hermione said darkly. "If I use too much at once, I won't be able to use my abilities until I've had time to recuperate."

"Then save your power for Harry." Danielle said. "We'll fight these demons the old-fashioned way." She checked her pockets for potion vials. She tossed a few to Catherine and asked,

"Incendiary or Plasma?" Catherine smiled.

"Plasma." Danielle handed her two more potion vials.

Danielle and Catherine took the lead now, guiding them through the dark, twisting tunnels. They continued on for another half-hour, encountering no resistance. Perhaps it was this fact that allowed all hell to break loose. Catherine rounded a corner, checking to see if the path ahead was clear, and a fireball caught her squarely in the chest.

Phoebe was upon her immediately, attempting to heal her but to no avail.

"Mi, I can't heal her. Her injuries are too severe and we're too deep in the Underworld… my ability to heal isn't strong enough." Hermione knelt down beside them as Danielle tossed a potion down the passage. The resounding blast of explosives nearly deafened them.

"We'll have to take her back to the surface." Hermione said. "My healing power was conjoined with my ability to raise the dead. When the Elders stripped that…"

"Hermione, Harry's been busy down here." Phoebe said. "The moment you told me to take her back to the surface, I tried to orb out… I can't. Harry's put anti-orb spells around this place, so you can guarantee there'll be anti-Apparation spells in place as well. Mi, I think we're…"

"Trapped." Hermione whispered. "Yeah, I think we are." She looked up, watching Danielle struggle to hold back the approaching demons. With a determined nod, she looked to Phoebe.

"Pheebs, I need you to go help Danielle. I know your powers are weaker, but I only need a moment."

"You've got a plan?" Phoebe asked. Hermione nodded.

"I do, but it's going to be risky."

"Mi, what are you…" but Phoebe broke off, staring, horrified, between Hermione and Catherine. "No, Mi… you… you can't do this. You have no idea how much power this could take… we both know there's a chance that doing this could kill you."

"Yes, and if I don't do it then both Catherine and her baby are going to die. I'm out of options, Phoebe." Phoebe slowly took Hermione's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I love you." She whispered. "Good luck." Phoebe stood and hurried to Danielle's side, hurling a potion vial with all her might toward the demons.

Hermione watched her go with a sad expression on her face. She felt sure she would never see Phoebe again. She looked down at Catherine and slowly raised her hands above her head. A swirling mass of black energy coursed through the air, forming a spiraling vortex which crackled with power and flashes of lightning. Hermione felt sick, and knew she might very well have just doomed herself and Phoebe, but if this worked… She carefully lifted Catherine and pushed her into the vortex. Her daughter vanished and the vortex spun and hissed for a moment longer before collapsing.

Hermione fell back, her strength long gone. Phoebe abandoned the battle and rushed to Hermione's side.

"She's gone." Hermione whispered. "I was able to open a time vortex and return her to her time… at least I hope it was her time."

"What about you?" Phoebe asked.

"I think I'll live, but my powers are completely drained." Phoebe nodded.

"Alright, just rest here. Danielle and I will get you out of here." She gently squeezed Hermione's shoulder and returned to Danielle.

"Did it work?!" Danielle shouted over the sound of explosions and the hissing and crackling of spells arcing their way between the combatants.

"I think so." Phoebe responded. "Kat's gone, anyway. Hermione's powers are drained, though. It's down to the two of us."

"Okay, we need to start falling back… maybe see if we can get to the…" Danielle broke off. The demons had halted their advance and were retreating down the corridor. Another figure, on the other hand, approached them through the smoke. It quickly passed the demons as they vanished down the corridor.

"Son of a bitch…" Danielle muttered as the figure stepped into the light and both Danielle and Phoebe saw the face of Harry Potter staring back at them.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry demanded, ignoring Danielle and glaring at Phoebe.

"Like I would ever tell you." Phoebe growled.

"I know she's here, Phoebe." Harry said. "So let's not draw this out."

"What the hell is wrong with you, anyway?" Danielle asked, her hand tightening around the potion vial she held in her hand. Harry shook his head.

"My quarrel is with Hermione, not with either of you. I truly don't want to kill you, neither of you. I understand your loyalty to Hermione, but I…"

"You don't know the first thing about loyalty!" Phoebe told him. "If you did, you would never have done this! You betrayed your friends, your family… everyone who has ever given a damn about you! Worst of all… you broke Hermione's heart. She loved you, Harry… hell, she still does! Everything she's done, she did for the betterment of her family, of the people she loves. I get that you felt she cared more about me than she did about you, I understand that you felt betrayed… but you've taken this too far."

"I needed to get to Hermione." Harry said. "Do you have any idea how difficult that is? Atlantis is nigh impenetrable and I could hardly just ask her to meet with me. I did what I had to do to make her venture out, to come after me."

"And what part of that required the rape of a sixteen year old girl?" Danielle demanded. Harry didn't respond.

"Fuck this." Danielle muttered, tossing the potion vial she had been holding.

"Danielle, no…!" Phoebe exclaimed. The potion arced down the corridor, before being blasted out of the sky by Harry, who was now glaring furiously at Danielle and Phoebe.

"Fine." He said. "I did not want it to come to this, but if that is your wish, then fine." Harry raised his wand.

"Enough." Hermione said, pushing her way between Phoebe and Danielle, placing herself squarely between them and Harry, shielding them from any possible attack.

"Harry, please…" she begged. "Let them go."

"Your daughter attacked me!" Harry shouted. "Why should I just let them go?"

"Because I'm the one you want." Hermione countered. "All this, everything you've done has been to get to me. So, you can have me. I won't fight you, I won't try to escape… you can do whatever you want to me… and I promise that Phoebe and Danielle, nor anyone else from Atlantis will come after you. You'll be free to do as you please, wherever you please."

"And the Ministry?" Harry inquired.

"I have no sway over the Ministry of Magic, Harry." Hermione told him. "They won't come after you for killing me, but if you go on acting like you have after today, I cannot promise you that they won't hunt you down." Harry nodded.

"Very well." He lowered the wards blocking all forms of magical transportation. "The two of you may go." Phoebe grabbed Hermione's arm.

"I'm not leaving you." She said in a furious whisper. "I can't."

"You can, and you must." Hermione whispered. "If you stay, he'll kill you. In my current state, I could not stop him."

"Mi, if he kills you, I die anyway. If I'm going out, I want to do it at your side."

"This is a guess, Phoebe, but I believe that since my powers were drained earlier, my death would not immediately cause your death, seeing as there would be no instant overflow of power flooding into you. The moment you return to Atlantis, speak with Miley. After my death, Atlantis will be hers. If she chooses to accept this role, as I have, you will be free." Phoebe, loosing her fight to hold back her tears, said;

"I promised I'd stay with you until the end." Hermione squeezed Phoebe's shoulder.

"This _is_ the end, sweetie." She gave Phoebe a swift hug, and after doing the same with Danielle, said;

"Go on… go now." Danielle bowed her head and vanished in a column of fire. Phoebe lagged behind, staring at Hermione, Harry looming over her shoulder.

"Hermione, I…"

"Go!" Hermione exclaimed. Phoebe orbed out. Hermione turned to Harry, who was standing barely five feet from her.

"So, what's your plan now?" she asked, pulling her flowing white gown more securely around herself.

"Why'd you do it?" Harry asked, folding his arms across his chest. "With all the power you have in you, why surrender to me?"

"My powers are gone, Harry. One of your demons nearly killed Catherine, and Phoebe couldn't heal her down here, what with the Underworld's effect on her powers. I did the only thing I could think of that might save her life. I sent her back home, back to her own time. The process depleted my powers. We know you've become an Avatar, I… I knew Phoebe and Danielle didn't stand a chance against you, so I did the only thing I could do to protect them."

"And how do you know I won't still go after them?' Harry asked.

"Harry, I don't care what you do to me, I don't care how far you scatter my body across the universe, but I swear this to you; If you lay a hand on any, and I truly mean the word any, of my family or friends ever again I will do whatever I have to, I will cross every line, I will kill anyone I have to, I will defy God himself if it comes to that in order to get to you. I promise you, Harry, I will ensure that you suffer horrendously for all of eternity if you ever hurt them again… if you ever even go _near _them again. I will destroy you." Harry just shrugged.

"Is Catherine okay?" he asked. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Like you care." She muttered.

"She _is _my daughter."

"Miley was like your daughter too, Harry. Look what happened there." Hermione sighed. "I don't know if Catherine's okay and I don't expect I ever will. She was dying, that's all I know. Hopefully someone in her time was able to save her. If not, well then you murdered your daughter, and your grandchild." Hermione smirked. "Yeah, that's right. She was pregnant, and thrilled to death about it too."

"I… I didn't know." Harry said quietly.

"Now you do." Hermione smiled. "Isn't it interesting that you never do realize the damage your actions might cause until you actually witness it? Honestly, I hope you never do discover the truth. In my mind, that should be enough punishment for you; living the rest of your days, not knowing if you killed your own child. I pray the guilt eats at you for every second of your life from this moment forward."

"You've changed, Hermione…" Harry said.

"I sure as hell have." Hermione said. "I've changed a very great deal from the Hermione you knew. Truthfully, I like the change. I'm not as soft as I used to be… and nowhere near as forgiving."

"You expect me to ask for forgiveness?" Harry asked. Hermione shook her head.

"I couldn't forgive you if you did. Harry, you raped my daughter. I can't forgive you for that. I could have found a way, had you only taken her… but when you stepped over that line, I… I wanted to kill you. I was _going_ to kill you, but Phoebe managed to talk me down. You owe her, by the way. You owe Phoebe your life. I hope one day she calls to collect. Honestly, I didn't think she would manage it, but she… she just has a way about her. Hell, maybe she'll forgive you… but I won't…. not for this. Rape is the sickest, most twisted and evil thing a person can do. There is no redemption for that sin, Harry… no forgiveness, no repentance. People like you don't deserve it."

"You don't think there's forgiveness for the things we do?" Harry asked. "Even if we're truly sorry?" Hermione shook her head.

"You know that I'm not a religious person, Harry. I never have been… but no, I don't think there is. I believe, and I hope that I'm wrong, that we are judged, once this life is over, by the things we've done. I don't believe people like us, who have done terrible things, are going to be forgiven… even if we ask. So, no… I think you can be a sorry as you want to be and you still won't find forgiveness. You chose to do what you did. Everyone makes their choices in life, Harry. No one forces you to do anything. Everything is a choice, that's what life is. If you make a conscious decision to do something, in this case to rape a teenaged girl, then I don't think there should be forgiveness… not for any of us."

"That's funny to hear coming from the person who has probably done more forgiving in her life than most other people in the world combined." Harry said.

"Is that what you think I've done, Harry? Forgiven people?" Hermione shook her head. "Harry, I don't honestly believe I've ever forgiven anyone for anything. Not Ginny for the things she did, not you and Phoebe for what the two of you did, not Draco for his countless betrayals… I just… stopped caring. What was the purpose in focusing on the bad all the time? It wasn't helping me, so I just… let it go. I didn't forgive, not really. I just didn't think about it any more."

"So, you actually…"

"Harry, could we please stop this?" Hermione asked. "I didn't do this to spend the rest of my life debating the many questions of life with you… unless you consider this to be some strange form of torture, which I actually could somewhat see how you might, I'd really appreciate it if we could hurry this along." Harry smiled.

"If that's your wish." He said. He stepped toward her, perhaps to take her to wherever he intended to execute her, or maybe he was planning to kill her right then and there, Hermione never found out. She waited until Harry had reached out to grasp her forearm, and then she struck. She grasped his throat and forced him to the ground with strength Harry had not expected from her. She quickly retrieved a potion vial from her pocket and forced the contents into his mouth.

"What was…?" He sputtered, attempting to cough up the foul-tasting concoction.

"Power Stripping potion." Hermione told him, climbing off of him and standing to her feet.

"Now we're on even terms."

--

"So, that was your plan all along?" Phoebe asked, watching Harry, who laid Stunned on the floor of the control room, beneath a magical force shield. Hermione nodded. "You could've told us, you know." Phoebe continued. "We both thought…"

"I know what you thought." Hermione said. "I'm sorry, Phoebe, but I needed your performances to be as realistic as possible. What could be more realistic than that? Not to mention my plan was conceived on the fly. I had a vague idea of what I was going to do should the situation allow it, but I no idea exactly how things would progress."

"Okay, okay, I understand… just don't ever do that to me again, Mi." Hermione smiled.

"Alright, I promise."

"So, what do we do with him?" Danielle asked from her position on the sofa. Miley, who had been resting her head on Danielle's shoulder, looked up.

"Well, firstly we need to find out whether or not he's really under a spell. Then, if he is, we'll have to discover which spell and then how to break it." Hermione began to pace back and forth in front of Harry's cage.

"If he's under a spell, Dumbledore's the only one who could have done it. This, all this, has to be what he meant when he said there would be one more challenge ahead. Naturally, he would have to know what spell Harry's under."

"If only we could ask him…" Miley muttered. Hermione turned to her, looking as though she were going to say that was impossible, but then she stared.

"Miles, you are _brilliant_."

--

"Mi, this is a terrible, terrible idea."

"This is our best bet on getting answers." Hermione said, pulling Phoebe toward the glass sphere in the old chamber the Avatars had used as their lair.

"If this is our best bet, we're screwed." Phoebe muttered.

"Have faith, Phoebe." Hermione told her.

"Oh, I've got faith. If I didn't I would've stayed on Atlantis. Just don't start singing that damn song again."

"I like that song." Hermione said, studying the smoke filling the sphere.

"Maybe." Phoebe said. "I didn't think it worked as a theme song for that one television show, though…"

"Could we maybe talk about this later?" Hermione said, taking Phoebe's hand. "We need to focus." Hermione touched the sphere and they were once again pulled into the swirling white fog.

"Okay!" Hermione shouted, releasing Phoebe's hand and looking skyward. "I don't have the slightest idea where in the hell we are, nor how this thing works! So, I'm going to work off of the assumption that someone can hear me! Earlier, I saw my parents in this damn thing, and now I need to see someone else. I need to see Professor Dumbledore!" Hermione paused, waiting. When nothing happened, she said;

"Professor _Albus_ Dumbledore!"

"How many Professor Dumbledores could there possibly be?" Phoebe muttered.

"Shush." Hermione told her. "I need to speak with him!" she continued, shouting to the heavens.

"Hermione, I don't think this is going to… holy shit!" Hermione spun around. There, standing barely ten feet from her with his arms clasped behind his back, stood Albus Dumbledore.

"You asked to speak with me?" he said, his eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad to see you." Hermione said, subconsciously placing herself between Phoebe and Dumbledore. She didn't think he would hurt them, she wasn't sure if he even _could _hurt them here. Still, she wasn't about to take the risk and end up being wrong.

"I'm glad to see you're still alive, Ms. Granger." Dumbledore said. He smiled. "I understand you have questions for me?"

"Yes," Hermione said. "I do. Firstly, is Harry under a spell?" Dumbledore said nothing.

"Is he under a spell?" Dumbledore simply examined his fingernails. Hermione sighed.

"Well, Phoebe, you were right. This was a bad idea."

"Thanks for saying so, Mi." Phoebe responded.

"One last time." Hermione said. "Is Harry under a spell?"

"He is." Dumbledore said.

"Is it the same spell you put on my father?" Hermione asked.

"Yes." answered Dumbledore.

"Did you put the spell on Harry?"

"I did." Dumbledore said. Hermione exchanged a nervous glance with Phoebe. So far, they were three for three. Hermione let out a long, steadying breath.

"How do we break it?"

"Now, that my dear, I cannot answer." Dumbledore said.

"Do you know how?" Phoebe asked.

"I do, but I will not tell you how to remove the spell. That challenge is for you to uncover."

"After everything you've done," Phoebe growled. "After everything you've put us through, after everything you've put Mi through… can't you give us _one _thing?" Dumbledore did not respond.

"Bastard…" Phoebe muttered.

"_Can _the spell be broken?" Hermione asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"It can." He said. "And with far less effort than you might believe." Hermione nodded.

"I can live with that." She said. "I do want to ask one thing, though."

"Do so." Dumbledore said.

"Why lead us all around like you did? What was the purpose in having the Mirror show me finding Harry in the Marauder's Map, only to have it send us back to the Mirror? Why couldn't the Mirror simply show me what it showed Phoebe?" Dumbledore smiled.

"Oh, my dear… you do not understand the very basic principle of the Mirror of Erised. You see, when you looked into the Mirror, your deepest desire was to discover a way to find Harry. The Marauder's Map gave you Harry's location. When Phoebe, on the other hand, looked into the Mirror, she wanted nothing more than to get to Harry. The Mirror, therefore, showed her how to get to him, instead of where he was. You must understand that the Mirror does indeed show us our most desperate desire, but that desire is not always the same thing."

"So, you're saying in that moment, I wanted to find Harry more than I wanted my sisters?" Phoebe asked.

"You did, if only for a brief time. In that moment, your love for Hermione, your desire to help her overpowered your longing for your sisters, thus you saw the way to get to Harry."

"Is it bad that what he said made perfect sense to me?" Phoebe asked Hermione.

"Nothing makes sense to me anymore, Phoebe." Hermione muttered. "We should go."

"We should." Phoebe agreed. "I want to know one last thing, though." She said, stepping toward Dumbledore.

"What, exactly, is this place?" Dumbledore smiled and bowed his head

"A world that lets us have one final moment with those who have passed on."

--

"So, you didn't learn _anything_?" Danielle said when Hermione and Phoebe returned.

"At least we know what we're dealing with now." Miley said, her eyes glued to the still Stunned Harry.

"And we're trusting Dumbledore on this?" Danielle asked. "More importantly, a Dumbledore you met in a weird globe full of smoke, owned by the Avatars."

"We are." Hermione said, looking up from the Book of Shadows. "I'm not particularly happy about it either, Dani. But like Miles said, at least we have an idea as to what we're dealing with."

"If Dumbledore told you the truth."

"If Dumbledore told us the truth." Hermione agreed.

"Fine, then." Danielle said. "What's the plan?"

"Haven't got a plan." Hermione confessed, closing the Book of Shadows. "If I did, I'd be attempting to initiate it instead of standing around here discussing this situation."

"I can start working on potion," Phoebe volunteered. "Not that I have even the _slightest _idea as to what I'd put in it."

"Thanks Phoebe, but I don't think a potion is going to get us out of this." Hermione said. "Dumbledore told us that this spell could be broken with less effort than we thought."

"What could be less effort than mixing a potion?" Danielle asked. "Breathing?"

"No, I just… I think he meant something very specific." Hermione said. "I feel like he was hinting at something I should already know, I just… can't figure out what it is." Danielle was about to respond when a spiraling blue wormhole formed in the center of the room. To the surprise of everyone present, Catherine stepped out of it, cradling a small bundle in her arms.

"Kat…" Hermione said, exchanging a quick glance with Phoebe. "It… it worked? You survived?"

"I did." Catherine said, carefully extended the bundle out to Hermione, who gently took it. "We both did." Catherine added. "Mum, I'd like you to meet Emma Elizabeth Halliwell." Phoebe looked up, shocked.

"Halli-_who_?" she asked, her eyes wide with confusion. Catherine smiled.

"Piper won't always be the only Halliwell sister with children, Pheebs." She said with a mysterious smile. "Emma, after my grandmother, and Elizabeth…" she smiled at her mother. "after you. I would've used your first name instead, Mum… but it sounded better this way."

"She's beautiful, sweetie." Hermione said, smiling down at the baby girl in her arms. The sudden sound of sobs caused them all to turn and stare at Harry. The Stunning spell had apparently worn off, and Harry was kneeling at the edge of the magical cage, staring at Catherine, Hermione, and baby Emma with tears streaming down his face.

"They survived." He whispered. "They both made it, they…" Catherine took the softly sleeping child from Hermione and knelt down in front of Harry's prison.

"Dad," Catherine said quietly. "meet your granddaughter." Harry's sobs did nothing but redouble after being granted a closer look at the tiny baby.

"She's absolutely gorgeous, Kat." Harry told her.

Hermione sat down on the sofa next to Phoebe, who looked at her questioningly. Hermione smiled.

"Before you ask, Phoebe, yes… I think the spell is gone."

"And what…?" Miley began.

"Broke it?" Hermione finished Miley's sentence for her. She leaned back into the couch, resting her head on Phoebe's shoulder. Miley lay back across her mother's lap, her eyes watching Catherine and Harry.

"It was _love_." Hermione answered at last, a hint of awe in her exhausted voice. "The most powerful source of magic in the universe. That spell may have caused Harry to hate me, but the sight of his granddaughter… and the love he must have for that little girl… learning that both she and his daughter survived must have shattered the dark hold over his mind."

"I guess Dumbledore was telling the truth, then." Danielle said, her voice tight. Hermione smiled at her and nodded slowly.

"I guess he really was."

--

"I figure I'll head home next week. I'm anxious to get back in some ways, but in others… I'll always feel like I belong here." Hermione smiled slightly as Catherine leaned against the railing of the balcony outside of her bedroom where both of them stood.

"We've finally made the future a better place for you, Kat." Hermione said. "That's what we've been trying to do ever since Harry showed up on my doorstep that day. You deserve to be happy, sweetheart. You should go enjoy it."

"Yeah, it's just… I'm a little scared."

"Scared? Of what?" Hermione asked.

"Every time I go back… something goes terribly wrong. What if it happens again?" Hermione shrugged.

"Then it does." She said. "Kat, you can't worry about what might happen. You can't change it, you can't control it."

"I know that, I… I just wish I knew for sure."

"So do I." Hermione admitted. "I wish I knew a lot of things. I wish I had known Dumbledore was behind all of this. I wish I had known Harry was going to be put under a spell…. I wish I knew how to bring all the people, all the friends we've lost back, but I don't."

"You promised me you'd find a way." Catherine reminded her.

"I did do that, didn't I?" Hermione said. "And I plan to. I fully intend to find a way to bring them back… and I do promise you Kat, I _will _find a way."

--

And so Atlantis returned to normal. Catherine soon returned to her own time, refusing Phoebe's pleas to reveal more of the future to her. Harry, too, had left Atlantis. He felt he needed to do a great deal of thinking, and the island was not the place to do that. Draco had left as well, only a single week after Harry. His reasoning was that although he had come to consider the island home, it brought up memories of Ginny, and of the life they could have had. He had stayed as long as he had because he felt that he owed Hermione for saving him from evil, for accepting him despite everything he had done. Now, though, he needed to go his own way, to start a new life… and slowly begin to find a way passed Ginny's death.

So as days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, the heat of the summer gave way to the icy cold and thick snows of the winter. When the first snow fell on Atlantis on that freezing Friday night, Phoebe was to be found slowly walking the dark halls of the palace. As she walked, she came to realize that in a little over a week, it would have been a year since they had first discovered Atlantis. A full year. In some ways it felt much longer than that, though at other times Phoebe felt sure they had only arrived on the island last week. So much had changed since the battle at Hogwarts, so much had changed since they had received those letters from Dumbledore… the letters that had begun the search for this place.

Phoebe reached the bedroom she and Hermione had shared for nearly six months and slipped through the door.

"Hey, Mi." Phoebe said, spotted her best friend sitting at her small desk.

"Hey, Phoebe." Hermione responded sleepily. "What are you doing up so late?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Phoebe retorted, sitting down at the foot of Hermione's bed and taking off her shoes. "To answer your question, though… I went for a walk around the palace. I… I needed to think." Hermione closed the Book of Shadows and leaned back in her desk chair.

"What were you thinking about?" she asked.

"Just some stuff." Phoebe said. "Don't worry about it." Hermione nodded and shrugged.

"I never got the chance to thank you before." Hermione said after several minutes of silence. "For staying with me, I mean. I thought, for a moment, that once you understood what I was prepared to do to stop Harry, you might leave me."

"You changed your mind about that." Phoebe reminded her.

"Yes, I did." Hermione responded. "But you agreed to stay with me before I changed my mind. So… thank you. I don't know what I would do without you, Pheebs." Phoebe sighed.

"Mi, I… I need to tell you something." Phoebe whispered, holding her face in her hands. "I've thought about this for the past few months now, and I made a decision during my walk tonight. This has been on my mind for a while now, and I'm so, so sorry that it took me this long to realize what I needed to do." She looked up at Hermione with tear-filled eyes, and saw that Hermione knew whatever she intended to say would not be pleasant. Phoebe took a deep, steadying breath.

"I'm leaving.


	27. The Darkest Night

_I am unwritten,  
Can't read my mind  
I'm undefined  
I'm just beginning  
The pen's in my hand  
Ending unplanned_

_Staring at the blank page before you  
Open up the dirty window  
Let the sun illuminate the words  
That you could not find  
Reaching for something in the distance  
So close you can almost taste it  
Release your inhibitions_

_Feel the rain on your skin  
No one else can feel it for you  
Only you can let it in  
No one else, no one else  
Can speak the words on your lips  
Drench yourself in words unspoken  
Live your life with arms wide open  
Today is where your book begins  
The rest is still unwritten, yeah_

_Oh, oh_

_I break tradition  
Sometimes my tries  
Are outside the lines, oh yeah yeah  
We've been conditioned  
To not make mistakes  
But I can't live that way oh, oh_

_Staring at the blank page before you  
Open up the dirty window  
Let the sun illuminate the words  
That you could not find  
Reaching for something in the distance  
So close you can almost taste it  
Release your inhibitions_

_Feel the rain on your skin  
No one else can feel it for you  
Only you can let it in  
No one else, no one else  
Can speak the words on your lips  
drench yourself in words unspoken  
Live your life with arms wide open  
Today is where your book begins  
the rest still unwritten_

_Staring at the blank page before you  
Open up the dirty window  
Let the sun illuminate the words  
That you could not find  
Reaching for something in the distance  
So close you can almost taste it  
Release your inhibitions  
_

_Feel the rain on your skin  
No one else can feel it for you  
Only you can let it in  
No one else, no one else  
Can speak the words on your lips  
Drench yourself in words unspoken  
Live your life with arms wide open  
Today is where your book begins  
_

_  
The rest is still unwritten  
The rest is still unwritten_

--Natasha Bedingfield, "_Unwritten_"

--

**Chapter 27**

**The Darkest Night**

--

"I know." Hermione said. Her voice was deathly quiet.

"What do you mean, you know?" Phoebe asked, perplexed.

"Phoebe, you've been thinking about leaving for months now, focusing on that perhaps more than anything else. You know I have the power to view the thoughts of others, but I keep that ability in check as much as possible. You, though… you've been piping out thoughts on leaving Atlantis for so long, and so strongly, it became difficult to block them out."

"Why didn't you say something?" Hermione smiled.

"What was I supposed to say, Phoebe?" she asked. "Ask you not to leave? We both know I would never do that. Honey, you deserve to be happy. I want you to be happy… and you aren't happy here."

"I'm not _unhappy _here, I just…"

"You want to go home." Hermione told her. "I want to get out of this place, the place that took your sisters from you."

"I just want to start over, Mi." Phoebe said. "I want to make a new life for myself, free of war, and death, and… magic. I'll never be able to do that here."

"No, you won't." Hermione agreed. "As long as you stay here you'll never have the life you want. So go. Hell, honestly I wish I could go with you. Leave Atlantis and everything this place brings with it and just go… but I can't. I chose to accept this role, I did this willingly, knowing what the repercussions would be. I have responsibilities to this place and to its people. I can't leave… you can."

"I just don't know if I can leave… you." Phoebe whispered.

"You can always come back and visit… from time to time."

"No, Mi… once I leave, I don't think I'll ever come back. I couldn't say goodbye again. If I leave, I'm gone for good." Hermione nodded.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"San Francisco." Phoebe said. "I need to go back there. I never had the chance to mourn Piper and Paige, what with everything that happened since. I need to do that. After that, I don't know where I'll go. I might stay there. Although, I think I'd like to travel…. See the world we've sacrificed so much to save, you know?" Phoebe looked across the room at Hermione, and although she was smiling, Phoebe could tell she was heartbroken.

"I could stay…" Phoebe whispered. "I don't have to leave, I could… Just ask, and I'll…"

"No." Hermione interrupted. "You want this, sweetie. I won't be so selfish as to ask you to give it up. If you want to stay, you may, however I will not ask you to do so. I want you to stay not because I asked you to, but because you want to. You don't want to, so you need to go."

"A part of me was hoping you would ask me to stay." Phoebe admitted. "It would've…"

"Given you a way out." Hermione said. "I know it's scary out there, particularly since you'll be going out alone, leaving behind everyone you know and striking out on your own. Living with no one you can call a friend is unspeakably difficult… but you can do it."

"You think so?"

"I know so." Hermione told her. "You're strong, Phoebe… possibly the strongest person I know. You've walked through the fires of hell time and time again and have come out unscathed… more or less. If anyone can make it out there on their own, it would have to be you."

Silence fell between them for a long while until Phoebe asked;

"What are you going to do?"

"The same thing I've been doing for a long time now, Pheebs. Take life as it comes, day by day, until the next crisis comes along."

--

"Miley?"

"Oh, hey, Harry. I didn't know you were back yet." Harry slowly sat down on the ground next to Miley, who was leaning against a large oak tree by the island's massive waterfall.

"I just got back." Harry said. "I'm not sure I'll be staying long, though."

"Why not?" Miley asked, taking a deep breath. She hadn't been this close to Harry since the spell over him had broken, and she found that it really didn't bother her that much.

"Well, I don't think your mother wants me here." Harry said.

"Why wouldn't she?" Miley asked. "She knows you were under a spell when you… did what you did."

"Yes, she does know… and I think that's the worst part of it. She can't bring anyone to justice now. Dumbledore's already dead, so I'm the only target she has."

"You seriously believe she blames you for what happened?"

"I wouldn't say she blames me for what happened, I just…" Harry sighed, trying to find the right words. "I think when she looks at me, all she can think about it was I did to you."

"That's crazy." Miley said.

"Maybe," Harry admitted. "but I can see her point. The man who raped her daughter is walking free. I can understand how that might trouble her, what with everything she's been through in her life. I bring up a lot of painful memories for her, and I don't want to stay around and do that… particularly not right now. She'll be miserable enough as it is without me around."

"Why?" Miley asked. "What happened?"

"Phoebe didn't tell you?" Harry asked. Miley shook her head.

"Tell me what?"

"Miles… Phoebe's leaving. She's giving up her Charmed powers and going back to San Francisco."

"Oh…" Miley said quietly. "No, I… she hasn't told me a thing. Did she say why?"

"She wants to start fresh, to be free of magic and the burdens it brings with it." Harry told her. "And let's be honest, can we blame her? Loosing her sisters like that… Phoebe deserves a bit of happiness, even if it means she has to move to the other side of the world."

"Yeah, she does, I just… This is just something else, you know? After everything that's happened, I thought… I thought the few of us left would… stay together." Harry sighed and looked skyward.

"She may be leaving, Miley… but something tells me we'll see her again. Someday…"

--

"Hey." Phoebe said, stepping out onto the roof of the Forum where Hermione stood, watching the Promenade three stories below, which, even at eleven o'clock at night, was still bustling and brightly lit.

"Hey." Hermione responded, glancing back at Phoebe as she approached.

"What are you doing up here?" Phoebe asked.

"I was in a meeting and needed some air." Hermione said, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah, I'm gonna miss that." Phoebe commented.

"What?"

"The air here… it's so clear."

"Really?" Hermione asked. "I don't even notice anymore."

"There's a purity to it that you don't find anywhere else." Phoebe said.

"Something tells me you didn't come all the way up here to talk about the air." Hermione commented. "What did you want?"

"Just to tell you that I talked to Miley earlier, she… she's upset that I'm leaving, but she understands… and that I'm leaving Tuesday morning."

"I didn't think you would want to wait another two days." Hermione said, turning away from the spectacular view before her and bringing her gaze to rest on Phoebe.

"I wasn't going to, I just… I guess I'm having trouble forcing myself to do this."

"Well, you knew when you made your decision to leave that it wouldn't be easy, Pheebs."

"Yeah, but I thought… I don't know what the future holds, Mi. I want to leave so I can forge a new life for myself, but what if I'm still needed here?"

"You _are _needed here, Phoebe. _I _need you here. Still, you can't base your decisions on the unknown. Freedom to do as we please is what we've been fighting for. The future's still unwritten, Phoebe. There's nothing keeping you from writing your part of it now."

Phoebe nodded slowly. Hermione smiled warmly at her, turned, and went back inside the Grand Forum. Phoebe watched her go, a slight smile on her face. Hermione would be okay, Phoebe felt sure. However, as she turned and watched the glowing Promenade, Phoebe couldn't help but feel nervous.


	28. The Ties That Bind

_I've practiced this for hours, gone round and round  
And now I think that I've got it all down  
And as I say it louder I love how it sounds  
Cause I'm not taking the easy way out  
Not wrapping this in ribbons  
Shouldn't have to give a reason why…_

It's no surprise I won't be here tomorrow  
I can't believe that I stayed till today  
Yeah you and I will be a tough act to follow  
But I know in time we'll find this was no surprise

It came out like a river once I let it out  
When I thought that I wouldn't know how  
Held onto it forever just pushing it down  
Felt so good to let go of it now  
Not wrapping this in ribbons  
Shouldn't have to give a reason why

It's no surprise I won't be here tomorrow  
I can't believe that I stayed till today  
There's nothing here in this heart left to borrow  
There's nothing here in this soul left to say  
Don't be surprised when we hate this tomorrow  
God know we tried to find an easier way  
Yeah you and I will be a tough act to follow  
But I know in time we'll find this was no surprise

Our favorite place we used to go  
The warm embrace that no one knows  
The loving look that's left your eyes  
That's why this comes as no, as no surprise

If I could see the future and how this plays out  
I bet it's better than where we are now  
But after going through this, it's easier to see the reason why

It's no surprise I won't be here tomorrow  
I can't believe that I stayed till today  
Yeah you and I will be a tough act to follow  
But I know in time we'll find this was no surprise

Our favorite place we used to go  
The warm embrace that no one knows  
The loving look that's left your eyes  
But I know in time we'll find this was no surprise 

--Daughtry, _"No Surprise"_

--

**Chapter 28**

**The Ties That Bind**

**--**

Monday morning dawned very bright and cold. A fresh layer of snow had fallen during the night, blanketing the island in a thick coat of white. The Black Lake itself had frozen solid, halting the Atlantean Navy and the island's fishing boats in their tracks.

The cold did not, however, hamper the people of Atlantis from rising as early as always, causing the Promenade to be packed and bustling even before the sun had fully risen. Nor would it put a stop to the reconstruction efforts going on up above at Hogwarts. The Ministry of Magic had, over the past several months, assessed the condition of the school and had begun to rebuild. Although much of the castle had been reduced to rubble, progress had been swift.

Despite the hustle and bustle of the Promenade and the Forum, the Royal Palace was incredibly quiet. A fact that Phoebe found quite interesting as she made her way back down from the tallest tower in the palace, where she had gone to watch the sun rise over Atlantis one final time. Phoebe knew Hermione had a staff of hundreds working in the palace, and yet as Phoebe traipsed through the long corridors, she didn't see a single person. She didn't come across anyone until she met Hermione, wrapped in a bathrobe, her hair dripping wet, and looking very sleepy, two floors below.

"Morning, Mi!" Phoebe said brightly, knowing her cheerful, perky greeting would do nothing but irritate her best friend.

"How are you always so cheerful in the morning?" Hermione asked, yawning widely and taking a sip from the cup of coffee she held in her hand.

"I'm a morning person." Phoebe said, watching as Hermione yawned once again. "Obviously, you aren't."

"Not in the slightest." Hermione responded, setting off once again toward her bedroom. "Unfortunately, the new government insists on starting their sessions before the crack of dawn. I'll tell you, Phoebe, if I'd known what a hassle the _new _leading body was going to be, I might not have resisted the old one so much. They didn't _want _me included in their meetings. The new government can't seem to vote on whether or not to have tea or coffee in the reception area without me." Phoebe smiled.

"I can't say I envy you, Mi."

"Are you sure you don't want to swap places?" Hermione asked. "Seriously, I'd be willing."

"Yeah… I don't think so, sweetie. Not unless I can hire a representative to go in my place."

"Hmm… that's not a bad idea, actually." Hermione commented. "Hey, Pheebs… would you be interested in a unique employment opportunity?" Phoebe laughed.

"I think I'll pass, if you don't mind."

By now they had reached Hermione's bedroom. Hermione opened the door and let Phoebe inside.

"Are you sure you have to go to the Forum today?" Phoebe asked, flopping down on the bed and brushing her hair out of her eyes. On the other side of the room, Hermione tapped herself on the head with her wand, drying her hair instantly.

"I have to, regrettably." She said. "Why?"

"Well, I just thought, since this is my last day here and all, that we could… I don't know, do something _fun_."

"And just what did you have in mind?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing in particular," Phoebe admitted. "I just thought we could… In twenty-four hours, I'll be gone, Mi. We won't see each other again for a long time, maybe never. I just want to enjoy every last moment we have left together."

"Alright, fine." Hermione said at last. "I'll tell the Forum that we are suspending today's agenda do to… Do you think 'personal issues' is a good enough reason?"

"Aren't you like the queen or something?" Phoebe asked. "Just tell them to take the day off or to go fuc…"

"_Phoebe!_" Hermione exclaimed in a disbelieving tone.

"_Hermione!_" Phoebe said, matching Hermione's tone perfectly.

"Okay," Hermione said, changing the direction of their conversation. "how about I show you the one thing on this island I can guarantee no one else knows about."

"If you're talking about that birthmark shaped like a Chihuahua on your butt… I've already seen that."

"Okay, before you leave tomorrow I am so wiping that from your memory… but no… I was talking about something a little more… special."

--

"Hermione, it's dark down here… and wet. I thought when you said you were going to take me somewhere special it would be a bit more… pleasant."

"Phoebe, no one's used this passage in years. We're half a mile under the palace and you expect it to be pleasant here?"

"No, but I didn't plan on crawling through stone passages either."

"Well, just deal with it, we're nearly there anyway."

"Fine!" Phoebe growled. "But after this I'm so putting your ass on a broomstick, scared of flying or not."

"Are you scared of the dark now, Pheebs?" Hermione asked.

"No, but I'm terrified of what lives in it." Hermione made no comment on Phoebe's last statement, perhaps because she completely agreed with her. Either way, Hermione did not speak again until the dark, downward spiraling passage ended at a plain, wooden door.

Hermione opened the door and stepped into the room beyond, motioning for Phoebe to follow her. Phoebe approached the doorway and found that Hermione was standing in what amounted to a broom cupboard. It was barely three feet wide and two feet deep, allowing just enough room for Phoebe to squeeze inside and pull the door closed. They were immediately plunged into darkness. When Hermione made no attempt to do anything further, Phoebe arched her eyebrows.

"Uh, Mi? What are we doing?"

"Waiting." Hermione responded as though this should have been obvious. "This door has a very powerful magical lock placed upon it. We can go no further until the door feels that we aren't a threat and opens itself for us."

"And what are we supposed to do until it does?" Phoebe asked, noticing that they were pressed so closely together by the small size of the room that she could not even squeeze her hand between them.

"I don't know." Hermione told her. "Entertain yourself."

"If we were still together, I'd know exactly what to do down here." Phoebe commented, attempting to make out Hermione's expression through the pitch darkness. "But in our current situation…"

"This _is _why I warned you not to have onions on your hamburger before we left." Hermione said, using her hand to judge the distance between their faces, which turned out to be less than four inches. "This would have been a lot less fun if you hadn't listened to me."

"You consider being squashed into a room that's barely large enough for one person, let alone two, to be fun?"

"No, I don't. That was my point." Phoebe was about to respond when an audible click resounded and the second door swung open. Hermione when first, squeezing herself past Phoebe, and stepped into the next room. Phoebe followed, and discovered that this room was not much larger than the one they had just left. It was a circular room, about seven feet in diameter and was lit by four torches mounted in brackets on the walls. There were no windows or any other doors to exit.

In the center of the room was a small pedestal that was about as high as Phoebe's waist and hovering above it in a bluish globe of slowly shimmering magical energy was a tiny vial, filled with a clear liquid with tiny specks of gold swimming through it.

"What's that?" Phoebe asked, leaning towards the vial.

"That is what I brought you here to see." Hermione took to vial carefully into her hands and passed it slowly to Phoebe.

"You hold in your hand what was once known as Aqua Vitae. The…"

"Water of Life." Phoebe interrupted, staring at the vial in awe. "You mean it's real?"

"Very real." Hermione said. "And what is in that vial is the very last of what remains of it." Hermione sat down on the edge of the pedestal and continued.

"The Founders built this city on this island for a very specific reason. This island was once home to the only spring of Aqua Vitae in existence. There is another spring, one protected by…"

"Wood Nymphs," Phoebe said. "Yeah, we met them once. Ending up turning a demon into a tree by the end of that little adventure."

"Well, this spring on Atlantis is somewhat different to the one you encountered." Hermione explained. "The Eternal Spring exists in another dimension and can only be summoned by the Wood Nymphs… not to mention drinking from it is strictly forbidden. The Atlantean spring, however, is not nearly as powerful. Unlike the Eternal Spring you encountered, Aqua Vitae must be drunk regularly, at least once a month, for its effects to continue. It is quite similar to the Elixir of Life made from the Philosopher's Stone in that regard. Aqua Vitae can also bring someone who has died back to life. The drinker would not receive eternal life however, due to the Water's powers being sapped to restore the drinker's life. There is enough Aqua Vitae left in this vial to restore a single person's life."

"You said this was all that was left." Phoebe said. "What happened to the spring?" Hermione smiled sadly.

"It is, unfortunately, a very sad tale of greed and selfishness. You see the people of this island discovered the spring right here, in fact. This room was constructed many years after the spring's discovery. Once the water's powers were discovery, well… you can imagine what happened. People came daily to the spring to drink from it. They failed to realize that the promise of eternal life always comes with a price. Instead of conserving such a precious resource, only using to heal serious wounds or restore the dead to life, they squandered it. And then, one day, barely fifty years after the spring was uncovered… the spring ran dry. All those who had spent the past fifty years drinking the powerful liquid died before they even grew old enough to truly benefit from it, and those who were only alive because they consumed the water quickly died. What you see in that vial is all that came up out of the spring the day it ran dry. It has been kept here, in this room, ever since. A reminder that nothing lasts forever and that we must be careful with the things that are given to us… and to not waste them." Phoebe handed the vial back to Hermione and shook her head.

"Really makes you think, doesn't it?" Phoebe said quietly.

"Yeah, it does." Hermione responded, looking thoughtfully at the small vial in her hands. "We don't think, we humans." She continued. "We see something we want, something powerful, and we just go after it. We never consider the repercussions; never think about what effect our actions today will cause tomorrow. They had the most powerful healing agent in the universe in their hands and they essentially just threw it away."

"Maybe we need to start." Phoebe said softly.

"Maybe we do." Hermione agreed. She started to put the vial back where it had been, then stopped. She turned back to Phoebe, who was watching her curiously. Hermione handed the vial back to Phoebe, studying the older woman's face with eyes that made Phoebe feel as though she were being x-rayed.

"Keep it." Hermione told her at last.

"Do what now?" Phoebe asked, thunderstruck.

"Keep it." Hermione repeated, extinguishing three of the torches and moving to stand by the fourth one. "I mean it, Phoebe. I want you to take it."

"But… why? It would be a lot safer here than it would be with me."

"Perhaps." Hermione admitted. "Here, though, it will remain as it is... untouched, just as wasted as the people who found it wasted all the rest. It can do no good here, Phoebe. But with you, I think one day you'll find a use for it. After all, there's not enough there to extend anyone's life by very long, what with the need to drink it regularly. I know you'll keep it safe, Phoebe… and I know you'll use it well." Phoebe still didn't understand, but with Hermione, she rarely did. So she simply nodded and slipped the vial carefully into her pocket. She then moved back into the tiny adjoining room. Hermione extinguished the last remaining torch and followed her. They didn't have long to wait for the return trip, because as soon as the door swung closed, the door to the passage outside popped open.

Phoebe didn't say much on their twenty minute walk back up to the palace. Her thoughts were still on the conversation she had just had with Hermione, and the tiny vial in her jeans pocket. She had no idea what Hermione expected her to do with it. She momentarily entertained the idea that perhaps Hermione had wanted to test her. To see if she, like the ancient Atlanteans, would simply waste the precious gift. She realized, however, that it wasn't a very Hermione-ish thing to do. No, she though to herself. Hermione had given the vial to her for a reason, whatever it was. In the end, Phoebe decided that perhaps the reason was exactly what Hermione had said before; that saving the last of the Aqua Vitae would do no one any good. Finding a suitable use for it, however, would at least be something. And as Phoebe came to this realization, she resolved to, whatever Hermione's plan for the vial was, keep the tiny bottle safe. She had made a promise, and she knew she had to keep it.


	29. The Real World

_Walking past you through the hall  
Stopping by to give you a call  
We've been through it all  
Talking to you saying our goodbyes  
Can't believe that we are leaving  
This is the end for us all_

Yeah Yeah Ohh

And how do we say our goodbyes  
Do we laugh or cry  
And why does this have to be so hard  
Yeah yeah ohh  
And how do we say our goodbyes  
Do we laugh or cry  
And do I just say goodbye  
Should I laugh or cry

Everything has just disappered into air  
I bearly got to say goodbye  
It's friends forever that's what we used to say  
Now everything is flying away

And how do we say our goodbyes  
Do we laugh or cry  
And why does this have to be so hard  
Yeahhhh  
And how do we say our goodbyes  
Do we laugh or cry  
And do I just say goodbye  
Oh ooh oh oooh ohhh

I just wish that everything was the same  
Now all the memories floating away

Yeahhhh ohhh..

And how do we say our goodbyes  
Do we laugh or cry  
And why does this have to be so hard  
And how do we say our goodbyes  
Do we laugh or cry  
And do I just say goodbye  
Should I laugh or cry

**--Savannah Outen, _Goodbyes_**

--

**Chapter 29**

**The Real World**

**--**

**December 14****th****, 2014; 12:38 P.M.**

Phoebe wandered the palace corridors in the early afternoon of her final day on Atlantis. She and Hermione had returned from their trip deep beneath the palace an hour earlier. Hermione had left her in the palace entrance hall, stating that she needed to quickly take care of something at the Forum, and would return in an hour or so.

Phoebe had just decided to go for a stroll out on the Promenade, when she spotted Harry approaching her from the opposite end of the corridor.

"Harry!" Phoebe said brightly. "I didn't know you were back."

"Oh, yeah…" Harry said. "I just got in yesterday. I felt I'd been away long enough, I… I needed to talk to Miley, and I just…"

"She's doing well, you know." Phoebe told him. "She doesn't blame you for what happened."

"Yeah, she said that but I honestly didn't believe her." Harry responded. "You're sure she's okay?"

"She's fine, Harry. Hermione tried talking to her, though I don't think she really knew what to say. Miley just kept saying that she was fine, and she's been acting like her normal self, so…"

"Doesn't change anything…" Harry muttered. "I'll never be able to look into her eyes again and see anything but the terror that was on her face when I…" Harry shook his head.

"She was so scared, Phoebe." He said, bowing his head. "She begged, and pleaded, and screamed, and cried, and I tried to stop, I really did, but I…"

"Magic has ways of controlling us." Phoebe whispered. "It can make us do things we would never even dream of doing normally. You were under a spell, Harry. Whatever you did while under the influence of magic… no one can hold you responsible for that."

"Hermione does." Harry told her. "I can see it when she looks at me. All she sees is the monster that raped her daughter."

"Harry, Hermione's not the type of person that would stay angry at you once she learned the truth. You've got the get it through your head that you weren't in control. Evil took you over and made you do terrible things. Hermione understands that."

"She understands it in her mind." Harry said sadly. "I'm not so sure she'll ever understand it in her heart."

"She'll forgive you, Harry. Miley has, so can Hermione. Just give her some time."

**December 14****th****, 2014; 1:27 P.M.**

Phoebe had at last made her way out of the palace and onto the sprawling Promenade. She slowly made her way through the crowds, glancing into storefronts as she passed by. She spotted Miley and Danielle coming out of a store ahead of her and she called out to them.

"Hey, Pheebs," Danielle said. "I thought you'd be spending the day with Mum."

"Oh, she had to run to the Forum for a bit. She should be finishing up about now, actually" Phoebe glanced at the store the twins had come out of and cocked an eyebrow at them.

"Got big plans with Wyatt tonight?" she asked Miley, indicating the bags in Miley's hands. Miley blushed a deep shade of magenta and adjusted the bags so that Phoebe couldn't see what was in them.

"I don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about."

"Uh huh." Phoebe said. "You two come out of a store dubbed 'The Love Boutique', and you expect me to not be the least bit curious about what you're planning?"

"Well, at least she didn't catch Wyatt and Chris going into that erotic shop a couple of streets over." Danielle muttered to her sister. "If we're getting this much of the third degree, imagine what they'd be… oops…"

"I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that." Phoebe said, rolling her eyes. "And I won't tell your mother that I saw you here either."

"You won't need to." Hermione said, walking up to them. "I'm here to catch them in person."

"It's not for me." Miley said at once, quickly pushing her bags into Danielle's arms. Danielle sighed.

"It's for me." She admitted. "I was going to try and seduce Chris. I've been trying to catch his eye for months and I don't even think he knows I exist. So Miley and I decided to come down here and buy a few things."

"And by _things_, I hope you don't mean…"

"No, no… nothing like that, and no love potions either. Just some massage oils and a few aphrodisiacs."

"And lingerie." Miley put in. Hermione stared at them for several seconds before turning to Phoebe.

"Did you do stuff like this at their age?" Phoebe nearly choked.

"What? Buy a sexual stimulant? Please, by seventeen I'd already gotten drunk more times than one can imagine, and I had fairly decent experience in the sexual side of life. These two are angels compared to me." Hermione sighed.

"Don't give them ideas Phoebe." Hermione said. "Fine, you two, go get your man. Just… don't do anything Phoebe and I wouldn't do… actually, scratch that. Don't do anything you'd be ashamed to _tell _us about." Miley and Danielle smiled at each other.

"_These _two are our role models." They said together, as they turned and hurried toward the palace. Phoebe and Hermione exchanged glances.

"So," Phoebe said slowly. "Guess where Miley and Danielle saw Wyatt and Chris going."

**December 14****th****, 2014; 4:55 P.M.**

Phoebe had always found it odd that Hermione could walk freely amongst the people of her fair city without anyone ever approaching her. In fact, people often spoke to her as though she were a common citizen. These thoughts were sparked once again in Phoebe's mind as both she and Hermione took seats at a small restaurant after waiting in a considerably long line and being hurriedly pressed for their drink orders by a particularly irritated waiter.

"Mi?" Phoebe asked, watching as the waiter who had seated them rushed from table to table, helpless against the dinner rush.

"Hmm?" Hermione asked, looking up from her menu.

"Aren't you like royalty or something?" Phoebe asked. "Why does no one ever seem to acknowledge who you are? I would've thought you would receive the finest service wherever you went." Hermione smiled.

"Oh, right. Of course, you don't know. You see, Phoebe, I disguise myself when out in public."

"Uh… you look the same to me, Mi." Phoebe said. "I'll admit, your hair has grown out a little bit. It'll be down to your toes soon if you keep letting it go. It's down to your thighs as it is. I don't see what…"

"It's an Atlantean thing." Hermione muttered. "Something about their queen not having hair shorter than to her waist, I think. Some sort of tradition or some such. I keep it going to appease the masses. I don't want to be burned at the stake because I broke some ancient law."

"I've been burned at the stake before." Phoebe reminisced. "After a while, it's not _so _bad. It's actually kind of a rush. But you changed the subject. We were talking about you and why no one seems to notice you."

"Oh, right. Sorry. I told you I disguised myself. Here, I'll show you. Let me see, what was the spell… ah, yes…" Hermione snapped her figures and she morphed into a very cute blonde, with ocean blue eyes and a dazzling smile. Her hair was much shorter, barely reaching her shoulders, and she wore bright red lipstick, a color she knew that in her normal form, Hermione never wore.

"Whoa…" Phoebe said, suddenly finding herself rather breathless. Hermione smiled.

"It's enough the no one notices me. It lets me give Ariel and the other handmaidens the slip as well."

"And you only show this to other people?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh yes." Hermione said. "You, Harry, the girls… You all see the normal me. Everyone else sees this. I only use it when I don't want to be disturbed. I have to occasionally leave the palace without altering my appearance, to keep up appearances."

"Well, you could have dropped the act long enough to get us better service." Phoebe told her.

"Yes, but then we'd have people over here asking me to bless them. You remember that one woman who asked me to pray over her newborn so that he would grow up with the blessings of the gods?"

"Yeah, that was odd." Phoebe admitted.

"Precisely." Hermione agreed. "I would prefer not to have a repeat of the experience, so I do believe I'll keep my true identity between you and me."

"Do you get hassled much when you're out without a disguise?" Phoebe asked.

"Somewhat." Hermione said. "People around here seem to think that just because I have enough power to collapse the sun means that I'm somehow closer to God. In reality, I'm no closer to God than anyone else. Sometimes, though… I wish I was."

"So you believe, then? In God, I mean?" Phoebe asked. Hermione sighed.

"I… yeah, I guess. Maybe not God as in _the _God… I don't think anyone that is supposed to love us the way God is supposed to would let all the terrible things that have happened in the world happen. I just can't see it. Maybe I'm wrong, and if I am then… well, then I don't know, I just… I believe there is something out there far more powerful than we could ever hope to be. Someone watching over us, not interfering, just… making sure we don't screw up _too _badly. If I'm wrong and there really is no God or anything like him like some people say, then… I guess I'll believe simply because it gives me at least a little bit of comfort to think that we're not completely alone."

At that moment, their drinks arrived and by the time the two women had placed their meal orders and the waiter had walked alway, their conversation had turned to other things. Phoebe didn't bring up the topic of Hermione's beliefs again, although she was very glad that Hermione had shared her feelings, particularly about not feeling alone. It actually did give her some comfort as she thought about leaving in the morning. She was going out into the real world, not the sheltered, protected world that she had been living in for over a year. Here, on Atlantis, she knew she was safe. Hermione was here, and she could think of no place in the universe safer than wherever Hermione happened to be. Still, the idea that somewhere, someone might just be watching out for her made her feel just a little better.

--

**December 14****th****, 2014; 9:49 P.M.**

The sounds of laughter reached Miley's ears as she approached her mother's bedroom.

"…and you're saying that no one ever _told _her?" She heard her mother ask, her voice full of laughter.

"Oh, no." Phoebe said in equally amused tones. "No, no one wanted to upset her. She was so _excited _about it!" The laughter redoubled as Miley pushed open the door.

"What's so funny?" Miley asked, slipping into the room.

"Oh, Phoebe was just telling me a funny story from the time she lived in New York." Hermione explained.

"What are you doing here?" Phoebe asked. "I thought you and Danielle had plans."

"_Danielle_ has plans." Miley said. "I just helped her get dressed; I don't plan on going on her date with her."

"Does Chris have any idea about any of this?" Hermione asked.

"Not that I know of, why?"

"Well, I just thought that Chris might be dat…"

"THAT BASTARD!" Danielle exclaimed, flinging open the door and storming inside. Hermione and Phoebe exchanged glances.

"Saw _that_ coming." Hermione muttered.

"What happened?" Phoebe asked.

"Chris!" Danielle exclaimed. "He's seeing someone else!"

"Oh, baby…" Hermione said softly, standing up and moving to her daughter's side.

"That's not the worst of it, though!" Danielle shouted. "That girl, she's… she's _BLONDE_!"

"Ouch." Phoebe said.

"It's his loss, Dani." Miley said. "There's other men in the world, after all. I'd look for a better one… no offense, Pheebs."

"None taken." Phoebe said.

"C'mon, Dani." Miley said, standing and guiding her sister toward the door. "Let's go get you out of these clothes and you can tell me how much you hate Chris."

Hermione and Phoebe smiled at each other as the door closed behind the twins.

"Ah, love." Hermione said dreamily. "The most beautiful, yet most painful thing in the world."

--

**December 14****th****, 2014; 11:55 P.M.**

"I guess we'd better get to bed." Phoebe said, yawning widely.

"Yeah," Hermione said, sadness evident in her voice. "You've got that big day tomorrow."

"Right." Phoebe responded.

**11:56 P.M.**

"'Night, Mi." Phoebe said, giving her friend a quick but firm hug and walking to the door.

**11:57 P.M.**

Hermione slipped quietly into bed as the door swung closed behind Phoebe. She sighed, pulling the blankets over herself and rolling over her left side to gaze out of the balcony doors which she had left open.

**11:58 P.M. **

Phoebe was halfway down the corridor when she stopped, turned around, and hurried back into Hermione's room. Hermione looked up at her as she closed the door.

"Do you, uh… Do you mind if I sleep here tonight?" Hermione smiled and shifted so Phoebe had room to lie down.

**11:59 P.M.**

Phoebe moved as close to Hermione as she could, an attempt to keep warm from the cold air blowing in from the open balcony doors. Hermione wrapped an arm around her and gently kissed her on the top of her head.

"Goodnight, Phoebe." Hermione whispered, blowing out the last remaining candle illuminating the room with a snap of her fingers.

**December 15****th****, 2014; **_**Midnight.**_


	30. A Disquiet Follows My Soul

Well, it's been a really fraking long time, but I finally sat down and got to work on this last bloody chapter that's been silently taunting me for months. I've written about twelve different versions, none of which have I been remotely satisfied with, including this one, but alas… I've simply given up and chosen to upload the best of the bunch.

-.-

____

_It's been the longest winter without you  
I didn't know where to turn to  
See somehow I can't forget you  
After all that we've been through_

_Going coming thought I heard a knock  
Who's there no one  
Thinking that I deserve it  
Now I realize that I really didn't know  
If you didn't notice you mean everything  
Quickly I'm learning to love again  
All I know is I'mma be ok_

Thought I couldn't live without you  
It's gonna hurt when it heals too  
It'll all get better in time  
Even though I really love you  
I'm gonna smile cause I deserve to  
It'll all get better in time

_I couldn't turn on the TV  
Without something there to remind me  
Was it all that easy  
To just put aside your feelings  
_

_If I'm dreaming don't wanna laugh  
Hurt my feelings but that's the path  
I'll believe in  
And I know time will heal it  
If you didn't notice boy you mean everything  
Quickly I'm learning to love again  
All I know is I'mma be ok_

Thought I couldn't live without you  
It's gonna hurt when it heals too  
It'll all get better in time  
Even though I really love you  
I'm gonna smile cause I deserve to  
It'll all get better in time

Since there's no more you and me  
It's time I let you go  
So I can be free  
And live my life how it should be  
No matter how hard it is I'll be fine without you  
Yes I will

Thought I couldn't live without you  
It's gonna hurt when it heals too  
It'll all get better in time  
Even though I really love you  
I'm gonna smile cause I deserve to (yes I do)  
It'll all get better in time

_Thought I couldn't live without you  
It's gonna hurt when it heals too  
It'll all get better in time  
Even though I really love you  
I'm gonna smile cause I deserve to (yes I do)  
It'll all get better in time_

-.-**Leona Lewis, "**_**Better in Time**_**"**

-.-

**Chapter 30**

**A Disquiet Follows My Soul **

-.-

"…and don't forget that all you have to do is call and I'll come get you, okay?"

"Mi, sweetie, relax." Phoebe said, gently stroking her best friend's hair. "I'll be fine. I'm more worried about you."

"Phoebe, you don't need to worry about me." Hermione said softly. "Obviously this isn't going to be easy for me, I… it's going to hurt, baby… for a long time. Even after it heals and you've been gone for years, it's still gonna… But you can't concern yourself with that. Pheebs… you're going off to start a new life, to be free of all this. I don't want you worrying about what's going on here. This place isn't your problem anymore. More than anything, though, I just want you to be happy."

"I know that, and I want to be happy too. I guess I'm just…"

"Scared?" Hermione asked, cocking her head to one side and eyeing Phoebe curiously.

"No, not… not scared, not really. I guess I'm more nervous. Nervous for me, for you…"

"Oh, Phoebe, don't worry about stuff so much… and yes, I know I worry about everything. Still, the war's over so I'm planning on taking a break from worrying."

"Even about me?" Phoebe asked.

"Now, Phoebe," Hermione said, slipping slowly out of her seat in front of a small café where she and Phoebe had been enjoying lunch on the Promenade and watching as Phoebe followed suit. "Do you seriously believe that I would ever stop worrying about you? We're going to be a world away from each other for a very long time, and… well, there's something about that thought that causes me to worry a bit."

Phoebe nodded as Harry walked up to them.

"Afternoon, ladies." he said, smiling at the pair of them. "Have a good lunch."

"We did," Phoebe said, while Hermione simply nodded. The three of them walked in silence along the sprawling Promenade and out into the wide, open courtyard at the Promenade's center. Hermione sighed deeply.

"Are you ready?" she asked quietly, looking up at the brilliantly blue sky that only seemed to taunt her dark and gloomy mood.

"Yeah." Phoebe said, taking a few steps away from Harry and Hermione and then turning back to face them. She looked around for a moment, taking in the bustling Promenade, the towering Grand Forum, and the glistening Royal Palace that had been her home for nearly a year. She looked out to the snowcapped mountains, and thought of the massive waterfall Hermione had at long last taken her to see the previous night. After about five minutes she looked back at Hermione, whose was staring at her with tears filling her cinnamon eyes.

"You know, I didn't realize until this moment just how much I'm going to miss everything about this place." Phoebe said, her voice cracking with so much sadness filling her heart. She took a step forward and took Hermione's hands in her own. "But most of all, I'll miss you. You are… everything to me, Hermione Granger and… no matter where I go once I leave here, I will never find a more loyal, loving, sweet, caring, and beautiful friend than you have been to me."

Hermione was trembling, from her head to her toes, Phoebe could feel it. Her departure was tearing Hermione apart. It took Hermione several minutes to find the words, and when she at last spoke, her voice could barely be heard above the din of the hundreds of people surrounding them, she spoke so softly.

"Phoebe, I… I have come to trust you, above everyone else, I… You've become so much more than my friend, you were… you were a gift, Phoebe. You've changed my life in more ways than I ever imagined, and you saved me… You saved me in essentially every way a person can be saved. You gave me a reason to press on, and I will always be in your debt for that. I can never thank you enough for all you've done, or how wonderful of a friend you have been."

Phoebe smiled and as much to her own surprise and it was to Hermione, Phoebe pulled Hermione as close as she could and kissed her. Not a friendly peck on the cheek, but a deeply passionate kiss that cause Harry's eyes to widen in shock. He looked at the ground, feeling quite awkward.

As the two of them broke apart, Phoebe looked up at Harry.

"Take care of her." Phoebe said, her tone held a hint of a warning, and her eyes were narrowed sharply. "I mean it, Harry. You had better be good to her."

"I will, Pheebs. Don't worry." Phoebe and Hermione's eyes met for a moment before Phoebe slowly let go of Hermione's hands.

"I gotta go." Phoebe said. "If I don't, I won't be able to." She pulled Hermione into a tight hug.

"I love you." Hermione whispered in her ear. Phoebe felt her own heart shatter into a million pieces upon hearing the terrible sadness in Hermione's voice.

"I love you, too." Phoebe said, her voice cracking. Phoebe pulled away, gave Hermione one final smile and squeezed her hand.

"Goodbye." Hermione said, tears now streaming down her face. Phoebe only had the strength to nod. She longed to turn away as she waited for Hermione to orb her away, but she couldn't. She watched as Hermione gave a wave of her hand, felt the familiar tingle of the bluish lights consume her body, and she was gone.

Hermione didn't move for several minutes after Phoebe had gone. She simply stared at the spot where Phoebe last stood, not entirely sure what to do.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked her at last. Hermione finally tore her eyes away from the scene before her and looked up at Harry.

"No." she said flatly, looking up at the clear, blue sky and hating it even more than she had a few minutes before. "But I will be…. someday."

"You'll never stop missing her, Mione." Harry told her. "But it'll get better… in time."

"Yeah…" was all Hermione said. She and Harry began their long walk back to the palace; their pace could have hardly been any slower.

"So, what are your plans, now that you're back?" Hermione asked, trying to take her mind off of Phoebe.

"I don't really have any yet." Harry admitted. "Trying to get back into your good graces, I guess."

"Well, if you want to do that… I'm still working on getting this island's government established. Phoebe was going to be a part of that, but… there's a place for you, Harry… if you're interested, that is." Harry nodded.

"Sure, yeah. I'd be happy to help." Hermione smiled.

"Good, I'm glad. Thank you."

"So, what about you?" Harry asked. "What are you going to do?" Hermione shrugged.

"I have no idea, Harry." She said. "I've made a promise to someone, though… I need to do what I can to keep it. Beyond that, I can't say… maybe I'll get a dog. I've always liked golden retrievers. Then again, I hear Switzerland is nice this time of year… maybe I'll take a trip somewhere, get away for a while."

"The war is over, Mione." Harry said. "You can leave from time to time." Hermione nodded. By now they had reached the gates of the palace. Hermione made to continue across the long stone bridge, but Harry held back.

"Mione, I… I know we've come a long way since I've been back, but… I really think I should find somewhere else on the island to live."

"Harry, that won't be necessary." Hermione said. "We're adults, I think we can manage living in the same house together."

"I know we can, but… it would be awkward."

"Harry, the palace is huge. We could live in the same wing and never even see each other."

"Mione… we're not together anymore and there's every chance in the world that we never will be again. I've got to get used to living without you, and I can't do that if we're constantly bumping into each other on the way to the bathroom."

Hermione considered telling Harry that the palace contained over a hundred bathrooms and that the chances of them actually meeting on the way were infinitesimally small. However, she instead said;

"Okay, I understand…. But you have to come by and see the girls at least every other day. They really miss you and you need to be a part of their lives." Harry smiled.

"Mione, I'm not walking away from my children, or you. I just think that we need to have our own space for the time being."

"Okay." Hermione agreed. Harry smiled at her, turned, and set off across the Promenade.

"Where are you going?" Hermione called after him. Harry turned around and continued to walk backwards.

"To look for a house to rent." Harry shouted back. "Hopefully one with a pool!" Harry turned and continued on.

Hermione watched him until he was swallowed up by the crowds and disappeared from view. She let out a deep sigh and looked up once again at the bright sky. The day was clear and beautiful and the future looked bright, but Hermione noticed dark clouds gathering out on the horizon and the wind began to pick up in strength. Although the sky was slowly beginning to match her darkened mood, it didn't make her feel any better. All the thunderclouds did was serve as a stark reminder that even the brightest of days still turned dark at night. There was a storm coming, Hermione could feel it… and for once, that thought didn't worry her. Because even though storms came, in time, they passed… and even though the sun set and darkness fell, she always knew that the sun would eventually rise again. Hermione allowed herself a small smile at this thought and set off once more toward the palace doors.

-.-

Okay, yeah, so not the best ending in the world... in fact, I wouldn't even put it on the list of the top 10,000. Still, at least it's done and I don't have to worry about it anymore. For anyone hoping for a better ending, I've got a 14 chapter sequel (yes, another one) that I finished in three, count 'em, three weeks… last December. I still can't believe I managed 14 chapters in three weeks while this one took over a year…


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